ENGINEERING PROG ENGINEERING STUDENTS’ Robot Talents on Display Freshman engineering students displayed their robotic constructions during the Robots Got Talent event on Dec 2, 2019. The event featured nine teams who competed in a semester-long process to construct robots designed to perform a unique set of functions.
THANK you! “This is so much more to me than just a scholarship. I see it as support from people who believe in me and what I have set out to achieve. Thank you for supporting me through my academic journey. I cannot express my gratitude enough for this opportunity.” —Alejandro Lule, ’23 Scholarship Recipient Biomedical Engineering
“The competition is called Robots Got Talent because it allows students to have an open slate to create a robot that will impress the audience,” said Dr. Matthew Rickard, professor and chair of bioengineering at CBU. “The aim is for students to be able to work in a team, gain experience with design, and be able to present what they created to an audience.” Students enrolled in the Introduction to Engineering course (ERG 101) are given a design kit to create customized robots at the beginning of the semester. The kit consisted of remote controls, motors, sensors, and LEGO pieces. The audience voted on its favorite robot, and the members of the winning team received 3D printed trophies. This year’s winner was The Itsy-Bitsy Spider robot, designed to climb
ENGINEERING PROGRAM Highlights
•T he SAE Lancer 4 Formula race vehicle competed in a virtual event in June. While there was no physical competition, the team received high praise on their presentation and knowledge.
• J oseph van Haaster, ’20, a mechanical engineering and electrical and computer engineering double major (a rare major combination only completed once prior) was accepted to USC to complete his graduate studies.
•A n education partnership agreement was made with Vandenberg Air Force Base in collaboration with the Bourns College of Engineering and the College of Architecture, Visual Arts and Design.
•T he department launched a three year degree completion program for incoming students with AP credits.
•D r. Rod Foist, professor of electrical and computer engineering (ECE), presented a paper titled An Electronics Project - Tutorial and Design of Printed Circuit Board “big blinky,” at the 2020 American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE) virtual conference in June 2020. This paper is co-authored by Dr. Foist with Dr. John Butler, assistant professor of ECE, and Gibson Fleming a 2020 graduate of the ECE program.
•D r. A. Abdelmessih, was elected a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. This is a privilege given to only four percent of the members, in recognition of their contributions and achievements. 218
The Gordon and Jill Bourns College of Engineering at CBU hosted the event in the multipurpose design hall of the Dennis and Carol Troesh Engineering Building.
