UTSA Engineering awarded $375-thousand dollars

Kris Rodriguez (photo)

UTSA 1604

Public Relations

(San Antonio)—The University of Texas at San Antonio College of Engineering has been awarded a $375,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to build and support new research laboratories in manufacturing engineering. The grant follows the Department of Defense’s recent $500,000 award to enhance the research infrastructure of UTSA’s new Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Lean Systems which was established last spring.

Leading the UTSA team of investigators is Can Saygin, associate professor of mechanical engineering and Frank Chen, Lutcher Brown Distinguished Chair in Advanced Manufacturing, “These grants allow us to quickly acquire and deploy effective blends of equipment and software packages to establish in-house capabilities in order to support research, research training, and education in manufacturing system integration and automation,” said Saygin.

“Additional areas we look to focus on include modeling and simulation, lean manufacturing and improvement, supply chain design and optimization, and integrated product, process, and system development.”

The center will serve as a “one-stop, unique source of expertise in flexible and lean technologies and systems, state-of-the-art technology applications in manufacturing, service, and defense industries” with the intention to work with industrial partners and assist them with their manufacturing and system needs.

Additionally, the center will serve as a catalyst in the continued exploration of adding additional master’s degree programs in the College of Engineering. The benefits of the center are countless not only for its industrial partners, but also for College of Engineering students participating in the program as the experience and knowledge gained will solidify their potential to become tomorrow’s leading minds in engineering.

The College of Engineering is one of the fastest growing colleges at UTSA, experiencing a 101 percent increase in student enrollment in the past seven years in addition to being one of the nation’s leading producers of Hispanic engineers. The undergraduate programs are accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), and the College’s faculty members are national and international leaders in areas such as manufacturing, communications, security, biomedical engineering, water resources, and transportation.

The College of Engineering is a leader in helping propel UTSA to become one of the nation’s leading research-intensive institutions.