STARKVILLE, MS – Courtesy of msstate.edu

MSU-Bagley College of Engineering faculty member Dalton “Ross” Smith was recently awarded a $10.5 million grant to be used to improve and expand the college’s IDEELab program, which educates and trains prospective engineers at the school. “A strong industrial base is critical to our national security, and we need innovative approaches to developing our industrial workforce,” said Adele Ratcliff, an MSU alumna and ICAM Director. “It’s exciting to see this work taking place in Mississippi that will grow hands-on learning opportunities in advanced manufacturing for students in such a defense-rich region. Mississippi State’s leadership follows a National Academy’s recommendation to incorporate an applied manufacturing focus to strengthen U.S. engineering and manufacturing capabilities.”

The grant will allow training and other opportunities to be extended to students in such a way that they can get hands-on training while still at school, in addition to making it possible to introduce the concepts to students in K-12 grades, as well: “Ideally, everyone would have the opportunity of a co-op or internship, but that isn’t always the case,” Smith said. “This now becomes the place where students get to practice skills they learn in the classroom for creating marketable technologies. Students will have access to advanced manufacturing equipment, as well as collaborative design spaces.” The plan is to help students gain more hands-on experience and better prepare them for the working world after graduation.

In addition to the $7 million provided by DoD, approximately $3.5 million of the grant comes from non-federal matching funds.

Please click here for the original article: https://www.msstate.edu/newsroom/article/2023/09/mechanical-engineering-instructor-and-ideelab-deputy-director-has-big