Mechatronics Summer Scholarship
University of Newcastle graduating mechanical engineering student Jarrah Peddie has spent an exciting summer playing with Robots.
Jarrah undertook a summer research scholarship this semester break which investigated the teaching and learning possibilities of an industrial robotic manipulator, commonly used in the manufacture of cars, electronics etc.
Using an off the shelf hardware and software combination, Jarrah’s research has focused on the possibilities for application of the robot to students studying mechatronics.
It has been an exciting prospect for Jarrah, who has learnt a new programming language and investigated the applications in a university environment – from simple drawing tasks to designing problems that may be presented to an undergraduate student.
"It’s a very real environment for a Mechatronics engineer – these are the kind of robots that graduates will be working with.
"And it’s great fun - I'm playing with robots."
Summer research scholarships in Mechatronics Engineering are relatively competitive and the best chance is to ask an academic whose work you are interested in, Jarrah explains.
"Speak to an academic you know or find interesting – the path in is definitely via the supervisors, most are proposed via face to face contact.
"It’s definitely worth it if you have an interest in postgraduate studies - It’s a great insight into what a career in research is all about."
To find out more about summer research scholarships and to see other projects undertaken in 2013 check out The Summer Research Scholarships page.
