Giving Valparaiso University Students Hands-On Opportunities
Shahin Nudehi, Ph.D., associate professor of mechanical engineering, is one of the driving forces behind one of the College of Engineering’s best opportunities for engineering students to pursue careers in the field of instrumentation and automation: the mechatronics laboratory.
Mechatronics is a major aspect of almost all modern systems, acting as the crossroads between mechanical engineering and electrical engineering. The production and maintenance of robots, automation systems, conveyor belts, and any other machine composed of both moving parts and electronic components demand a qualified workforce educated in mechatronics. Hands-on experience in the field with the mechatronics lab opens a vast number of opportunities for students in the College of Engineering in both long established and cutting-edge industries.
“These students can work in any industry with instrumentation or automation background,” Professor Nudehi says. “Electric car manufacturing is a great example. Electric cars are electro-mechanical systems with motors and all the electronics and instrumentations that drive them.”
The mechatronics lab provides students with hands-on experience in several important areas of modern automation such as digital logic, microcontrollers, programmable logic controllers, robotics, sensors, motors, and pneumatics. Seven experiment areas are available to prepare students for solving problems in major aspects of the field.
What makes the College of Engineering’s mechatronics facility stand out from similar labs at other institutions is that, except for a small number of advanced pieces of equipment, everything from the machines themselves to the experimental processes in learning to use them have been designed and built by students.
“Really, everything comes from the students,” Professor Nudehi says. “They designed the experiments, they built the experimental setups, and they even developed some of the lab procedures. They did everything.”
Alex Hurtig ’22, a mechanical engineering major and teaching assistant in the mechatronics lab, is one student who has helped bring the laboratory to life.
“Professor Nudehi has handed me a lot of projects, and he’s been kind enough to let me pursue them pretty independently,” Alex says. “Now we’re in the final stages of building the lab.”
One of Alex’s primary focuses in helping build the mechatronics lab was the software and procedures behind the vision sorter, a camera and robotic arm used to teach students how to program color differentiation. The experiment revolves around programming the computer to differentiate between disks of varying colors and programming the arm an ABB robot to pick up specified disks based on that differentiation.
Building the setup, the experiments, and the lab procedures behind the experiments gives students firsthand experience with the issues, challenges, and obstacles that a person managing such a process in a professional setting can expect. Alex, who has written procedures for manufacturing industries as part of his internship experiences with Midwest Machinery, Caterpillar, and Eli Lilly, says his experiences in the mechatronics lab have helped prepare him for those challenges.
“There are a few tricks in working on processes that I’ve learned through the mechatronics lab, especially in communication,” Alex says.
Academically, Professor Nudehi believes that the intensely hands-on process helps keep students engaged and committed to their area of interest to a greater degree than general class assignments.
“These students are involved in the research and involved in doing something important,” Professor Nudehi says. “A student involved in the research is more likely to graduate and be successful.”
One of the major challenges of teaching in the field of engineering is the rapid pace at which technology and systems advance, and mechatronics is no exception.
“Look at your cell phone,” Professor Nudehi says. “Compare what it is now to five years ago. Mechatronics was a part of that change.”
Professor Nudehi says the real-world experience of students like Alex, who signed on to join Eli Lilly’s Indianapolis plant after graduation, along with maintaining a close student-professor relationship even after graduation, will be critical in keeping the mechatronics lab up-to-date with the demands of the industry.
“I’ve told Alex that if he sees anything at Eli Lilly that could benefit our students to let me know so it can be added to the mechatronics lab,” Professor Nudehi says.
Professor Nudehi obtained an MS. degree. in electrical engineering and a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Michigan State University. He recently completed his second MS. degree in Power Systems and Electric Machines from the University of Wisconsin Madison. He came to teach at Valparaiso University after four years of industrial experience at AVL North America, where he was responsible for instrumentation and development of the engine exhaust emission testing and measurement products.
Professor Nudehi believes the mission of the mechatronics lab is just part of what makes the College of Engineering an exemplary student experience.
“We have faculty who specialize in their discipline,” Professor Nudehi says. “They are wonderful at what they do, so whatever a student’s interest is, be it heat transfer, manufacturing, solar energy, bioengineering, or mechatronics, we have top faculty here to help them.”
To learn more about the amazing laboratory experiences offered to students at the College of Engineering, visit the mechanical and bioengineering labs website here.
