Partnership with two U.P. colleges hopes to graduate more in robotics fields
HOUGHTON — A partnership between Michigan Tech and Bay College will lead to more graduates equipped to enter the field of industrial robotics.
The demand for workers well-trained in industrial robotics is greater than ever, and a partnership between Bay College and Michigan Tech will help meet that demand.
The articulation agreement between the community college and the university allows students to earn an associate degree in Mechatronics and Robotics Systems from Bay and then transfer to Tech and earn a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering Technology.
Dean of Michigan Tech’s School of Technology Jim Frendewey said, “Academic advisors in both of the schools have worked hard to put together degree plans that specify exactly the courses that are needed for students and when to take them. And it’s really important to have this so that the transition for the students from Bay to Michigan Tech is as transparent as possible.”
A grant from the National Science Foundation of $702,000 will be used to develop a curriculum, provide training and equipment, and develop simulation software to prepare the students to fill the current shortage of specialists in the field of robotics.
Associate Professor, MTU School of Technology Aleksandr Sergeyev, Associate Professor in the Electrical Engineering Technology Program in Michigan Tech’s School of Technology, said, “Robotics by itself created
about six million jobs through 2011 and, according to the International Federation for Robotics, they project another 3.5 million jobs to be created for the next few
years.”
The program begins this fall.