Siemens, RIT announce partnership

Rochester Institute of Technology and Siemens Energy & Automation Inc. announced a new research and education partnership, which seeks to enhance real-world training for engineering students, while improving the safety and design of automated systems used in manufacturing. As part of the agreement, Siemens is donating $250,000 in hardware, software and monetary contributions to RIT’s Advanced Systems Integration Laboratory within the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering.

“Siemens is a worldwide leader in the development of automation controls and we are very proud to be selected to assist them in advancing their technology,” said Sudhakar Paidy, RIT professor of industrial and systems engineering and director of the Advanced Systems Integration Lab. “This partnership will also enable us to greatly enhance the education and research opportunities for RIT’s engineering students both in the class room and the lab.”

Paidy’s advanced multi-disciplinary engineering team is using the Siemens donation to build four experimental manufacturing set-ups, which will be incorporated into two courses: Machine Design, which is offered within the Department of Mechanical Engineering; and Advanced System Integration, which is offered within the Department of Industrial & Systems Engineering. The team is also working to improve the integration of safety controls into automated systems in an effort to enhance industrial safety and reduce costs associated with the equipment.