UCO School of Engineering receives $30,000 grant

Boeing, the world’s largest aerospace company and leading manufacturer of commercial jetliners, recently announced it will award a $30,000 grant to the University of Central Oklahoma School of Engineering to advance its new makerspace. The grant will fund the Boeing Reverse Engineering and Rapid Prototyping Lab, which will be in the new engineering makerspace located on Central’s campus.

Opening in spring 2023, the lab will enhance existing engineering courses offered at the university, provide a launchpad for new curriculum development in advanced manufacturing and reverse engineering and offer engineering students the opportunity to immediately gain relevant skills for the aerospace industry and other related industries.

“The specific focus on reverse engineering is not standard for engineering programs,” said Evan Lemley, Ph.D., professor of mechanical engineering and director of the UCO School of Engineering.

“The reason reverse engineering is relevant for our students is because the aerospace industry in the Oklahoma City metro is very much oriented to reverse engineering.”

UCO’s makerspace will provide a range of opportunities including hands-on experience, equitable access to students of diverse backgrounds and a tailored setting that offers students to train for specific workplace environments.

Additionally, the makerspace will be used to educate and inform K-12 students about the range of careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields, specifically engineering.

For more information about the UCO School of Engineering, visit www. uco.edu/cms/academics/ engineering/.