Professors receive $400K NSF grant for Lean Manufacturing education
Published: Sep 25, 2024 2:10 PM
By Carla Nelson
Three Auburn University professors have been awarded a nearly $400K grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to enhance Lean Manufacturing education.
Over the next three years, Tom Devall, Tiger Motors Lab director, Jorge Valenzuela, Philpott-WestPoint Stevens Professor of Industrial and Systems Engineering and Chih-hsuan Wang, professor in the Department of Educational Foundations, Leadership and Technology, will lead this project.
The goal of the project is to expand access to experiential training beyond campus to the Tiger Motors Lab, often referred to as the Lego Lab. The lab provides students with hands-on experience in a 4,000-square-foot integrated manufacturing facility, which simulates high-volume automotive manufacturing environments like those used by Toyota and Honda.
“We know we’ve got something special in that lab,” Devall said. “I have conducted research that shows the lab’s impact on students helps them perform better. It’s more effective than classroom lectures alone, so we wanted to make this experience available to distance learners.”
Currently, online students observe lab production runs but cannot actively participate. The NSF project aims to change that by developing immersive 360-degree video modules that allow students to walk through the lab virtually and complete assignments based on real data collection.
“If done well, it will feel as though they’re physically in the lab,” Devall said. “This opens the lab to anyone in the world, bringing credibility to our program as it impacts both industry and academia.”
Valenzuela highlighted the importance of sharing Auburn’s unique lab experience, especially since many universities lack such facilities.
“The lack of lab spaces to teach ISE skills is common to industrial engineering programs,” Valenzuela said. “The Lego Lab represents a complete manufacturing process system, and many universities lack the resources to provide this kind of hands-on learning. Our goal is to share what we have here remotely, making it accessible to students and industry professionals worldwide.”
The project also opens up new possibilities for industry training.
“Currently, we conduct on-campus industry training, but this will allow us to offer training remotely to those who can’t be on campus,” Devall said. “This project not only enhances the student experience but also strengthens Auburn’s reputation with industry by extending our expertise beyond the university’s walls.”
The evaluation of the project will be led by Wang, whose role will involve designing assessment tools and analyzing data to measure the impact of the modules.
“One of the challenges distance students face is the lack of hands-on opportunities. This project will bridge that gap,” Wang said. “It’s exciting to see how this will equip both traditional and distance learners for successful careers in Lean Manufacturing.”
This NSF-funded initiative is expected to expand experiential learning opportunities, equipping students with valuable skills in Lean Manufacturing and increasing Auburn University’s reach in education and industry training.
Media Contact: , carla@auburn.edu, 334-844-1404
Over the next three years, Jorge Valenzuela, Philpott-WestPoint Stevens Professor of Industrial and Systems Engineering, Tom Devall, Tiger Motors Lab director, and Chih-hsuan Wang, professor in the Department of Educational Foundations, Leadership and Technology, will lead the Tiger Motors Lab project.
