9354980 Tlusty The Machine Tool Research Center (MTRC) at the University of Florida will establish a three phase Machine Tool Research Graduate Traineeship program designed to lead students from the B.S. to the Ph.D. in a five year period. During the first phase of the program, the students will concentrate on coursework. They will identify an area of research interest and complete a non-thesis Master's research project which will serve as the basis for their eventual doctoral research. Following the completion of the M.S. degree in the second year, the students will enter the second phase of the traineeship which consists of a one-year, off campus internship at an industrial site or an internationally recognized research lab. The internship will be arranged carefully to coincide with the student's research area. Following the internship, the trainees will return to the MTRC to concentrate on their doctoral research. The NSF Machine Tool Research Traineeships will be nationally advertised. Particular emphasis in recruitment will be placed on women, minorities and the disabled. Institutions which are the leading producers of women, minority, and disabled B.S. level Mechancial or Manufacturing Engineering graduates will be identified. MTRC faculty will make recruiting visits to at least four of these institutions. Eight of the most promising candidates identified will be invited to visit the UF campus to meet with MTRC faculty and students at departmental expense. Recent expnsion of the MTRC necessitates an increase in the number of graduate students. The Mechanical Engineering department is currently restructuring its graduate programs to place an increased emphasis on the Ph.D. degree. The Machine Tool Research Graduate Traineeship program will allow the MTRC to significantly increase its Ph.D. productivity. ***
