REU Site: Research Experiences for Undergraduates in the Industrial Application of Sensing, Modeling, and Controls

Tennessee Technological University, Cookeville TN

Investigators

Abstract

EEC-0552860 Mohamed A. Abdelrahman This REU award for a builds upon existing state-of-the-art foundry research at Tennessee Technological University (TTU), a collaborative research relationship with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and a consortium of industrial partners representing different facets of the casting industry. The primary goal of this REU Site is to introduce undergraduate students to research opportunities in the industrial application of sensing, modeling and control. It will engage 10 students in collaborative multidisciplinary research for 9 weeks during the summer each year for three years. Five of the students will be recruited from TTU and five will be recruited though a nation-wide search with particular focus on minority institutes and those from principally undergraduate institutions. This REU site will offer students from underrepresented groups of minorities, and students from institutions that do not offer research opportunities, a chance to participate in high quality applied research. The proposed research utilizes expertise from multiple disciplines as it addresses different sensing technologies, modeling of physical processes and automatic control of the casting process. The project will involve students and mentors from Electrical, Mechanical, Chemical, and Industrial Technology. The participants will find a forum in which to exchange research ideas with their colleagues from within their field, as well as those from different disciplines. Dissemination efforts will require students to present the results of their experience at their home institutions and to attend and present their research work at regional and national conferences. This research is focused on increasing the competitiveness of the US metalcasting industry, reducing energy consumption and environmental impact, and changing the image of this multi-billion dollar industry to a field rich with research opportunities. It will attempt to address the lack of a highly educated workforce by fostering interest in multidisciplinary, high-tech, research in the important metalcasting industry.