Teaching Grants Engage Students in Fluid Power

The NFPA Education and Technology Foundation awarded six teaching grants that will begin in January 2015. The objective of the grants is to engage students in learning about fluid power, encourage teaching resources at 2-year colleges and 4-year universities, connect talented students to our industry, and foster ongoing forums between educators and industry.

The six grant awards

Development of Servo-Pneumatic Experimental and Learning Platform, Professor Jose A. Riofrio, Western New England University – The primary goal of this project is to design and build a servo-pneumatic testing platform that can be used for undergraduate-level research, as well as lab activities and demonstrations in the Mechanical Engineering department.

Educational Agile Pneumatic Robot, Professor Luis A. Rodriguez, Milwaukee School of Engineering – The primary goal of this project is to introduce students to fluid power and robotics, to spark interest in fluid power applications and automation, and to reach out to elementary and high school students to excite them about engineering and technology, and to inspire them to pursue a college education.

ME6404 Pneumatics, Professor William Singhose, Georgia Institute of Technology – The primary goal of this project is to provide graduate students with experience using pneumatic systems in the design and implementation of advanced control methods.

Hydro-Cycle, Student Chase Korth, Hennepin Technical College – The primary goal of this project is to highlight the efficiency and practicality of hydraulic propulsion.

Multi-Users Load-Sensing System Educational Test Station, Professor Andrea Vacca, Purdue University – The primary goal of this project is to introduce the first educational load-sensing system that will teach students about the basic principles of operation, understand the concepts, and quantify energy consumption and efficiency.

Exploring Fluid Power Through Fluid-Powered Bicycle Competition, Professor Elizabeth Hsiao-Wecksler, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign – The primary goal of this project is to expose engineering students to fluid power design, applications, and technology through a 9-month capstone design project that requires them to develop a fluid-powered bicycle.

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