Public Engagement

The University of Minnesota is the lead institution in a $15 million, five year grant from NSF to study advanced uses of fluid power technology. The research might lead to greater energy efficiency in devices as diverse as personal service robots, dentists' drills, jaws of life, backhoes, and regenerative braking in autos. The principal investigator is Kim Stelson, Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Director of the Center for Compact and Efficient Fluid Power.

The Center is remarkable not just for its technical promise but for the extent of its collaborative arrangements. These include four other research universities (Illinois, Georgia Tech, Purdue, and Vanderbilt), two outreach universities (Milwaukee School of Engineering and North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University), the National Fluid Power Association, and more than 50 companies. In addition, the Science Museum of Minnesota will create a public display on fluid power and will have teenage staff in its Youth Science Center give talks to museum visitors; and Project Lead the Way, a national nonprofit organization that develops pre-engineering courses for middle and high schools, will develop modules for teaching.

One can be confident that these extensive and deep interactions with industry and educational organizations played a large part in the award of the grant, by effectively addressing the NSF broader impacts criterion.