Grants help train Wright State engineering students for advanced manufacturing

DAYTON, Ohio — Two state grants are helping to bolster hands-on experience for Wright State University students in the latest electric vehicle and advanced manufacturing technologies. 

The university received $579,000 through the Ohio Department of Higher Education’s Regionally Aligned Priorities in Delivering Skills (RAPIDS) program. Wright State received $399,000 from the Super RAPIDS Automotive and Advanced Mobility program and another $180,000 grant.

Funds will help provide equipment for training in battery manufacturing and testing, vehicle electronics, secured connectivity and automotive manufacturing. The second grant will go toward equipment purchases such as 3D printers, advanced software, cameras for industrial automation and other technology.

“The market share of EV is going up,” said Ahsan Mian, a professor of mechanical engineering and director of research and outreach in the College of Engineering and Computer Science. “We need to train our students for that market. We need to be prepared.”

The university said the funds will go toward classroom learning on its Dayton and Lake campuses.

Wright State said it will continue to update equipment students use for training on its Lake campus, such as bringing in a LiDAR unit (Light Detection and Ranging) that measures and maps distances in 3D. There will also be an industrial vision device, which takes information from robotic sensors on a production line and interprets it, and EV simulation equipment to examine how the systems work and how batteries are charged. 

“We’re a hub for our local manufacturers and businesses, having available training close by. Our goal is to meet the community’s needs,” said Tammy Eilerman, director of the Workforce Development and Business Enterprise Center at the Lake Campus. “The number one concern is to attract a talented workforce. We need to prepare our students for the workforce now and in the future.”

Mian said while the focus is on electric vehicles, he sees opportunities in other fields such as autonomous vehicles. 

“Unmanned, driverless vehicles, they’re coming for sure,” he said. “Some of this equipment will be helpful for training students in driverless cars, for their repair and servicing and for engineering, designing and testing driverless vehicles. We are thankful to the ODHE for their continuous support in acquiring new equipment to provide training. ODHE is appreciative of what we do.”