Penn State World Campus students learn about research in University Park visit

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — In response to increased industry demand for experts in the growing field of additive manufacturing, Penn State began offering residential and online master’s degrees in additive manufacturing and design in 2017. As part of the curriculum, Penn State World Campus students in the program journeyed to University Park campus to participate in a variety of activities that highlighted the depth and breadth of additive manufacturing research at Penn State.

Students in the online Master of Engineering Additive Manufacturing and Design (AMD) program who took the Metal Additive Manufacturing Lab core course in the spring 2023 semester visited campus this summer and participated in lab demonstrations and tours designed to supplement the material covered in the course. They also engaged in a team design challenge. The visiting students traveled from across the country, representing eight states and nine companies.

“We look forward to the opportunity each year to host our World Campus AMD students on campus," said Allison Beese, professor of materials science and engineering and director of AMD, and Jaclyn Stimely, assistant director of AMD. "We continue to evolve the visit week in order to incorporate different activities to improve the students’ experience on campus.”

The AMD program is a partnership between the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences and the College of Engineering. The online courses are offered through Penn State World Campus.

“It was wonderful to host our World Campus students in our mechanical testing laboratory,” said Amrita Basak, assistant professor of mechanical engineering. “The students participated in performing tests in a custom-built apparatus. One of the challenges of teaching a laboratory course to our World Campus students is the lack of experimental resources that the students have access to. However, after my interaction with the students, their questions and feedback gave me ideas on how we can design laboratory experiments using household items. This insight is going to be fantastic as we continue to make our program more accessible to a diverse population of students.”

The residential master of science and online master of engineering in additive manufacturing and design are 30-credit degrees offered to graduate students to provide the analytical and practical skills required to digitally design, develop, analyze, numerically model, optimize, fabricate and inspect new components and subassemblies using additive manufacturing technologies. Since launching in fall 2017 with 13 students, the number of students has grown to more than 120 students.

"I believe that the opportunity created by the AMD program for World Campus students to visit the University is a vital component of the program's overall experience to forge meaningful, face-to-face connections and collaborate closely with the Penn State professors and staff,” said Alfonso Saenz, current World Campus student who participated in the visit week. “This visit offered the students the incredible chance to witness the cutting-edge developments that are currently happening in the additive manufacturing field up close, engaging directly with collaborating experts.”

Allison Beese, professor of materials science and engineering and mechanical engineering, serves as program director. For more information about the program, please visit the AMD program website.