The U.S. Department of Education has awarded Dr. Yong Tao, Betty L. Gordon Endowed Professor and Chair, a $1,009,852 grant through the Modeling and Simulation Program for his proposal Developing Modeling and Simulation-Based Multidisciplinary Learning environment for Urban Universities. This project will be a collaboration between the Departments of Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and Teacher Education to develop a new graduate concentration of Modeling and Simulation in Sustainable Energy Systems (MS-SES)

The goal of the project can be summed up in the following four tasks:

1. develop three new courses and enhance an existing project course to align with the MS-SES concentration. The team will structure the core of the concentration for students to learn fundamentals of M&S while guided by projects in energy systems that are embedded in all courses from introductory level to application level;
2. deliver a flexible curriculum that fits student needs for a standard or accelerated master's degree in mechanical engineering with the M&S concentration, or a stand-alone M&S certificate program;
3. evaluate and demonstrate the best practice for an MSP program that can be adopted by other engineering tracks beyond the funding period; and
4. develop a student-centered environment to recruit diverse students and enhance their success towards the MSP concentration, demonstrating careers pathways through workshop series and symposia, and leveraging campus events.

"Engineering Students will benefit from completing a degree with an MS-SES concentration in multiple ways," said Dr. Tao. "They will be able to demonstrate their specialized academic achievements among their peers, their decision-making abilities, and research competence in their field of study. Students will also gain expertise that allows them to contribute to new technology innovation and deployment towards a sustainable future that does not exist today. For example, industries are always facing new challenges and open-ended questions that need efficient turn-around time. Those challenges cannot be addressed using traditional knowledge bases and experimental approaches. Most importantly, having a graduate degree with a modeling and simulation concentration will unlock career opportunities in a range of industries from manufacturing to healthcare, as well as federal and state governments, where mechanical engineering graduates are needed."

About CSU and the Washkewicz College of Engineering

​​​​​​Cleveland State University is a public institution located in Cleveland, Ohio. The university has an enrollment of more than 16,000 students in programs at the baccalaureate, masters, and doctoral levels. The university is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and is currently awaiting reaffirmation of accreditation. Washkewicz College of Engineering offers graduate and undergraduate program. The undergraduate programs are accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) (http://www.abet.org). To learn more about the College, please visit: engineering.csuohio.edu.