Knowledge Foundation supports development of profile education in Mechanical Engineering!

Knowledge Foundation supports development of profile education in Mechanical Engineering!

The Knowledge Foundation (hhttp://www.kks.se/) has decided to fund the development of our MSc Programme in Mechanical Engineering (project budget of 2.7 MSEK).

“It feels great that The Knowledge Foundation believes in us and the research profile we have in mechanical engineering! Connected to our research, and in intense collaboration with industry, we now get the chance to let our mechanical engineering MSc programme reflect the research and context that surrounds the mechanical engineer of tomorrow.”, says Christian Johansson Askling (PhD), the project responsible and also programme director of the BTH mechanical engineering programmes (Civilingenjör Maskinteknik 300 hp, Högskoleingenjör Maskinteknik 180 hp).

The approved project means that the engineering programmes will be enhanced with even tighter research integration, and also profiling.

Project summary

The project aims to develop and significantly renew the MSc programme in Mechanical Engineering at Blekinge Institute of Technology. Based on results from KKS research profile Model-Driven Development and Decision Support – MD3S, the goal is to create a program that educates and prepares engineering students for digital product development, where they can collaborate with business partners on future innovations in a context and an environment that is permeated by modeling, simulation and data-driven development of complex product-service solutions.

Through design activities together with companies and students, we will develop new approaches and new courses that are based on a thorough review and analysis of the companies’ need for development within product development competence.

With a clear common grounding in product development theory as well as with profiling in relevant areas such as product-service system innovation, data-driven design and simulation-driven design, the focus is that the students continuously train their abilities in applications together with industry in sharp projects with clear profiling.

With the new program and the collaboration between business, research and education, the students are attractive and employable by both the companies that have participated in the research profile, but also other companies that want to develop in that direction.

Christian Johansson Asklinge, project and programme manager.

Ambition and relevance

Professor Tobias Larsson, responsible for the MD3S research profile, elaborates;

“We see that the mechanical engineering profession is continuing the digitalisation path its been on since 20 years now. Modelling and simulation via advanced CAE (Computer-Aided Engineering) tools is standard, so is also the ability to transform needs into engineered solutions, and via a “handshake” hand over the engineered solution to production. Recent developments in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Internet of Things, and Internet-enabled technologies in general, provides a new setting for the engineer of tomorrow. Also the engieer’s desktop with tools and methods needs to evolve to support companies ambitions to deliver value adding product-service solutions, innovations, to the market. Our ambition in research is to be a global leader in this field, and we want this to be reflected also in our education programmes.”

“Industry is changing; autonomy, electrification, customization – you name it! It all poses challenges, and we aim to tackle the challenges related to the mechanical engineering field.”

“Via pedagogical adaption of our programmes to comply with the international CDIO “standard”, creation of makerspace and innovation lab at BTH, and via intense collaboration with global industry actors (Volvo Cars, AB Volvo, Tetra Pak, GKN Aerospace etc.), and academic partners like Stanford University (Design Thinking and Innovation), ASU (Sustainability, and Innovation), Tokyo Metropolitan University, Politecnico Milano and University of Bergamo (Product-Service Systems) we aim to have a unique programme that educates the engineering problem solvers of tomorrow!”

“There may be “bulk” engineering education in this field, but we do not want to compete with them, but rather add to them and provide a top class, niche education with very close collaboration with research and industry.”, Tobias concludes.

The work starts right away on April 1 and students will start see the impact from the autumn, and the full change will be deployed within 3 years.

For more information, contact project leader Christian Johansson Askling.

Press

Categories: Education, MD3S, News, Research

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