Extension projects are undertaken by an appropriate team of faculty, graduate students, and undergraduate students.  The purpose of these projects is to perform some value-adding service to a local organization. 

• The set of skills that could be grouped as "professional practice” is important to all engineers.

• Undergraduate as well as graduate students in engineering can obtain or refine this set of skills from the practical experience provided by industry projects.

• This is especially true in the industrial and systems engineering (ISE) discipline due to its “human orientation”.

• The difficulties associated with the human component of business systems can be appreciated only by actually participating in projects at an industry site.  

 

How does the project system work?

• The ISE department at North Carolina A&T State University (NCA&T) has sought to find a solution to the challenges of educating students in "professional practice" through an aggressive partnership with the Industrial Extension Service (IES), a state agency.

• Over the past three years, students and faculty in the Department of Industrial Engineering at NC A&T SU  have completed several projects.

          The unique elements of our efforts are:  

• focus on small companies that are rich in the ISE problems they have to offer for solution,

• local companies making it possible for students and faculty to work together, and sustainability due to the availability of the services of NC-MEP in identifying and administering the projects.  

What are the details of the process?

• The IES extension specialists continually contact area manufacturers to discuss their operations and to identify any technical needs they may have.

• Many of the problems in manufacturing can be addressed with traditional or innovative industrial engineering principles and practices.

• The memorandum of understanding between the Industrial Extension Service and North Carolina A&T State University allows the extension specialist to discuss relevant project ideas with interested faculty members.

• Interested faculty members then accompany the specialist to the industrial facility for further verification of the problem and relevance to the engineering discipline (typically within one week of initial inquiry).

• The faculty member will then develop a project proposal to IES outlining solution approaches and funding requirements (within one-two weeks).

• IES then submits a proposal to the client seeking to team with N.C. A&T on project.

• IES extension works with industry client to secure award then subcontracts relevant project work to North Carolina A&T State University.

• These types of project are typically completed within 3 to 6 months with well-defined scopes and completion objectives.