GSA Daily Staff Report
Published July 29, 2010
The robotics program within the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science at the University of South Carolina Upstate announces a new partnership with SEW Eurodrive USA in Lyman.
The university and the manufacturer of geared motors, frequency inverters and servo drives, entered into an agreement in which SEW Eurodrive will support USC Upstate’s robotics program for five years by funding a research lab assistant every semester, lab materials, robotics summer camps and special events.
In return, SEW Eurodive will receive student interns to support various research projects. The university will also provide feasibility studies at the company’s request.
“One of the goals of the robotics program at USC Upstate is to develop the next generation work force with integrated knowledge of computer science and industrial robotics in order to meet the demands of manufacturing companies with high-tech robotic systems with advanced programming interfaces,” said Sebastian van Delden, associate professor of computer science.
“The SEW Eurodrive Research Assistantship Program will be a fantastic partnership opportunity for our students to get that real-world, hands-on experience within a manufacturing company, ultimately preparing them for an exciting career in computer science, robotics or an IT related field,” he added.
Student research assistants will work on research projects, either in the area of applying computer vision or natural language programming to industrial robotics. In addition to academic research projects, SEW Eurodrive will be able to assign a research project to the research assistant, such as conducting a feasibility study and developing a prototype robotic solution that is needed on the plant floor.
“We are honored to take part in this important robotics partnership with USC Upstate. We believe there will be great benefits as we invest in growing tomorrow’s work force for the community’s advanced technological challenges, both present and future,” said Edie Become, director of human resources at SEW Eurodrive.
SEW Eurodrive is based in Germany and has operated its 250,000-square-foot facility in Lyman since 1983.
