ONR, on behalf of the Office of the Secretary of Defense, for the Manufacturing Engineering Education Program

Description

The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2017 established the "Manufacturing Engineering Education Program," (MEEP) (Section 2196, Title 10, United States Code10 U.S.C. § 2196), which authorizes the Department of Defense (DoD) to support industry-relevant, manufacturing-focused, engineering training at United States institutions including education, industry, nonprofit, and consortia of such institutions or industry. The purpose of this program is to establish new or to enhance existing programs (or collections of programs) to better position the current and next-generation manufacturing workforce to produce military systems and components that assure technological superiority for the DoD.Interested parties should focus programs on manufacturing education to support one or more distinct manufacturing technologies of DoD interest, for example: manufacturing of lightweight structures, systems and materials; robotics for manufacturing; manufacturing to exploit nanotechnology; manufacturing of components and systems for power generation, storage, or distribution; or manufacturing of multi-functional electronics and/or optical devices.Proposed efforts should develop and enhance curricula and programs to effectively develop skills sets needed for students to operate in multidisciplinary design and manufacturing environments, including those for which manufacturing schema are informed by computational tools for modeling and simulation. Students also should be prepared to work effectively in environments where multiple engineering disciplines are engaged during design, development and manufacturing, and where the roles of manufacturers and suppliers in businesses of various sizes, from start-ups to major systems integrators, are optimized. Curricula and programs that develop shop-floor capabilities are also sought and may include welding; manufacturing-related programming (Computer Numerical Control (CNC), Computer Aided Design (CAD), Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC), logic, robotic control, etc.); operation and maintenance of state-of-the-art manufacturing equipment/tooling; process monitoring and optimization, and in-line quality assurance; and manufacturing, supply chain, and distribution management.The DoD, through the Office of Naval Research (ONR), seeks a broad range of consolidated and integrated multidisciplinary programs of education that encompasses the total manufacturing engineering enterprise with an emphasis on:a. Developing targeted instruction and/or curricula that covers desired manufacturing technologies and skills.b. Identifying specific opportunities for faculty and student engagement with industry, including opportunities for students to obtain relevant work experience in manufacturing through such activities as internships, summer job placements, or cooperative work-study programs. Identifying specific industrial partnership(s) and providing details of the collaboration is a critical element for any proposed program.c. Geographical diversity.Instruction that encompasses the total manufacturing engineering enterprise may include but is not limited to the following:a. Manufacturing engineering education and training through classroom activities, laboratory activities, thesis projects, individual or team projects, internships, cooperative work-study programs, and interactions with industrial facilities, consortia, or other such activities and organizations in the United States and appropriate foreign countries;b. Faculty and teacher development programs;c. Recruitment of educators highly qualified in manufacturing engineering to teach or develop manufacturing engineering courses;d. Presentation of seminars, workshops, and training for the development of specific manufacturing engineering skills;e. Activities involving interaction between students and industry, including programs for visiting scholars or industry executives, or other personnel exchanges;f. Development of new, or updating and modification of existing, manufacturing curriculum, course offerings, and education programs;g. Establishment of programs in manufacturing workforce training;h. Establishment of joint manufacturing engineering programs with defense laboratories and depots;i. Expansion of manufacturing training and education programs and outreach for members of the armed forces, dependents and children of such members, veterans, and employees of the Department of Defense.Any proposed program or collection of programs should include quantitative assessment plans to demonstrate the increased understanding of manufacturing engineering challenges and potential solutions, and the enhanced quality and effectiveness of the instruction that result from that increased understanding.

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