The problem being addressed by this project is the perception by industry that graduating engineering students are missing a vital link between theory presented in the classroom and actual industrial problems. Many industrial employers acknowledge that most students obtain a high degree of analytical expertise, but still maintain that they are not as advanced in applying these analytical techniques to `real-world problems.` The objective of this effort is to develop a unique Fluid Power Systems Laboratory aimed at giving engineering students a unique laboratory experience with classes of `off-the-shelf` industrial devices. This facility enables students to directly tie analytical classroom theories with truly practical experiments. The methods being used to accomplish this development include the integration of industrial, academic, and governmental resources to provide support in their respective areas of expertise. The laboratory is part of a unified approach to the Dynamic Systems and Control laboratory environment in the College of Engineering. As a result, the lab seeks to integrate Fluid Power Systems into all levels of the college-wide engineering curriculum that deal with the modeling, analysis, and control of dynamic systems. The scope of the lab audience includes demonstrations of the technology to freshmen through senior-level design projects and undergraduate independent research. The project stresses collaboration among departments within the college by incorporating the lab into several existing courses. The impact of this project is the development of engineers trained on industrially relevant devices. These engineers have a solid grounding in both theory and some of the relevant applications. Since many engineering systems contain some aspect of Fluid Power, this project directly affects the nation's technological workforce and increases its competitiveness.
