IUCRC Center for e-Design: Phase II Renewal

Virginia Polytechnic Institute And State University, Blacksburg VA

Investigators

Abstract

The proposal seeks a Phase II support (second five-year period) for the Center, including support for center personnel, evaluation and research. The proposed Center is a multi-university Center comprised of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (lead), the University of Massachusetts Amherst, the University of Central Florida, and Carnegie Mellon University. It is anticipated that the Center will grow to an 8-university center shortly, with the addition of Brigham Young University, the University of Puerto Rico, the University of Buffalo, and Wayne State within the next few months. The NSF Multi-university IUCRC for e-Design addresses the science and engineering challenges that limit the evolution of a new product/system design approaches that are essential for efficient, rapid and reliable design and manufacture in a highly competitive global environment. The Center aims to provide timely, high-quality, and cost-effective collaborative research projects and validate them through an Internet based test-bed platform. In addition, the Center plans to disseminate knowledge and methodologies to its members through regular seminars and workshops. The Center for e- Design is dedicated to the vigorous pursuit of state-of-the-art IT enabled tools that can achieve faster or instantaneous product design response times, much faster time to market, better product quality and significantly reduced cost. The proposed continuation of the e-Design center will improve engineering design processes for its members, and with increased membership and adoption of a shared portfolio approach, further extend its benefit to U.S. industry. The proposed effort will contribute significantly to the successful development and preparation of graduate and undergraduate students across several departments. Students associated with the e-Design Center will receive exceptional career development opportunities, to include laboratory and field studies, attendance and presentations at interdisciplinary conferences and workshops, a design colloquium series, participation in interdisciplinary activities and journal publications, as well as training in the ethical conduct of research. Virginia Tech plans to contribute to the diversity of the Center, with 25% of participating faculty being women, a population traditionally underrepresented in engineering. The PI and other Virginia Tech faculty will continue their long history of recruiting women and minority graduate and undergraduate students.