Often, for every robot used in the field, there are two new jobs that become available. Courtesy Widener University Widener University www.widener.edu Lake Superior State University www.lssu.edu Go Online
Courtesy Widener University Photographs courtesy Lake Superior State University Above: A Widener University student with WUbot, a robot which helps students learn robotics programming. Above right: Lake Superior State University Robotics Director Jim Devaprasad (left) with a senior level mechanical engineering student, in the robotics lab. Above left: Lake Superior State University offers its students hands-on experience with high-tech machines and the opportunity to partner with leading industries and corporations to develop capstone projects. Left: Widener University provides students access to modern, well-equipped laboratories and computer facilities, and exposure to real-world aspects of the engineering profession. mechatronics as well. Broader skills like communication, creativity and strategic thinking can also be key to success in robotics. “Being inventive in solving problems and having the ability to communicate these solutions are vital to any engineering discipline,” says Lubeck. Widener University and LSSU make it easy for international students to find out more about their robotics programs and apply to join the fun. Students from India should expect to provide a variety of documents, including proof of proficiency in English and standardized test results demonstrating the skills and experience needed to thrive as a robotics engineer. Both institutions also offer an array of scholarships and financial aid options. LSSU, for instance, offers a dedicated robotics scholarship to incoming freshmen. And through the university’s One Rate Tuition program, students from around the world pay the same lower rate of tuition as those from Michigan. Widener University offers opportunities like the #YouAreWelcomeHere scholarship, which covers a minimum of 50 percent of tuition costs for selected international students. Other scholarship opportunities include the chance for incoming engineering students to receive free laptops. For those who receive an undergraduate or a graduate degree in robotics engineering, Devaprasad describes outstanding career opportunities, flexibility and earning potential. There are “tons of job opportunities all over the world,” he says, “with a variety of industries and businesses already in robotics or looking to get into robotics.” Furthermore, the work is great fun, he says, emphasizing that it’s hard to get bored with such vast opportunities in so many different fields. What sort of student should pursue a degree in robotics engineering and help meet the global demand for new experts in this discipline? “Anyone who is interested in technology and its applications in industry and day-to-day life,” says Devaprasad, as well as those who have “a desire to help solve problems and make human life better.” The world of robotics does, however, present its own unique challenges. When entering the workforce, Devaprasad warns, newly-minted robotics engineers should be ready to face perceptions like robots replace people and that the growth of robot usage will lead to massive unemployment. “Actually, so far, studies have shown that in industry, robots do not replace people, but do displace people, with a greater need for people with skills, education and training,” he says. “Often, for every robot used in the field, there are two new jobs that become available.” For Lubeck, “The biggest challenge that robotics engineers face is failure. You can say that for any major, but robotics engineering sets the bar for failure as a challenge. Improvement and development is the basis of robotics. And when that fails, it does not feel good.” No matter how bad it may feel, though, Lubeck advises persevering when engineering projects don’t go as hoped for, working hard and never backing down from a problem. “Seeing something work is one of the greatest feelings that you can have,” he says. “With robotics projects, there’s really no limit or end to what you can do.” Michael Gallant is the founder and chief executive officer of Gallant Music. He lives in New York City. JULY/AUGUST <strong>2019</strong> 27
Change language