Monday, December 23, 2013
Waterloo Engineering will accept an additional 45 students to its high demand Mechatronics Engineering program, beginning in Fall 2014!
The
University
of
Waterloo
introduced
Canada's
first
full
undergraduate
degree
program
in
Mechatronics
Engineering
in
2003.
Mechatronics Engineering
emphasizes
the
design
of
electro-mechanical
devices
ranging
from
large-scale
automated
manufacturing
systems
to
micro-scale
sensors
and
instrumentation.
Steve Waslander, mechanical and mechatronics professor, pictured with a quad rotor helicopter.
Today,
the Mechatronics
Engineering (MTE)
program
is
unmatched
in
terms
of
content
and
integration.
It
is
the
program
of
choice
for
students
seeking
an
interdisciplinary
engineering
education
that
is
highly
integrated
and
focused.
Introduced
with
an
initial
cohort
of 120
students,
the
program
has
been
oversubscribed
since
its
inception.
Beginning
in
Fall
2014,
the
program
will
accept
an
additional
45
studentsfor
a
total
of
165.
Mechatronics
exemplifies
the
“entrepreneurial
trifecta”
that
Waterloo
Engineering
is
renowned
for,
combining
a
rigorous
multidisciplinary
academic
program
with
five
mandatory
work/study
co-op
terms,
and
a
student
team
structure
that
supports
thousands
of
hours
of
student
initiated
collaboration,
where
idea-driven
students
overcome
all
types
of
real-world
challenges.
From
its
inception,
the
program
has
attracted
entrepreneurially
minded
students
–
those
interested
in
working
on
the
frontier
of
new
technology.
Graduates discover global success
Since
the
first
graduating
class
of
2008,
the
MTE
program
graduates
are
discovering
global
success
in
their
entrepreneurial
pursuits,
and
they
credit
Waterloo
Engineering
with
giving
them
an
edge
in
the
emerging
field
of
advanced
hardware-software
integration.
Thalmic
Labs,
founded
by
Stephen
Lake
(BASc
’12,
Mechatronics),
Matthew
Bailey
(BASc
’12,
Mechatronics)
and
Aaron
Grant
(BASc
’12,
Mechatronics)
is
on
its
way
to
launching
its
flagship
product,
the
Myo,
a
gesture
control
armband
that
attracted
$14
million
in
venture
capital.
Bufferbox,
Sentry
Scientific,
and
Kik are
among
other
successful
enterprises
founded
by
MTE
students
and
alumni.
Many
of
these
success
stories
started
with
innovative
ideas
that
MTE
graduates
pursued
as
two-term Capstone
Design
projects involving
the
design
and
construction of
a mechatronic system.
The
two-term
Capstone
Design
project
is
a
key
component
of
the
4th year
curriculum
in
the
mechatronics
program
and
is
viewed
as
an
area
of
strength
where
opportunities
for
prospective
graduates
to
have
entrepreneurial
pursuits
are
often
present.
Departmental Collaboration
Since
2010,
the
Mechatronics
Engineering
program has
been
based
in
the
impressive
Engineering
5
building,
shared
by
Mechanical
and
Mechatronics
Engineering, Electrical and
Computer
Engineering,
Systems
Design
Engineering,
and
the
world-class
SedraStudent
Design
Centre,
promoting
extensive
collaboration
between
the
three
departments
for
the
purposes
of
teaching,
research,
and
providing
support
to
Waterloo’s
many
award-winning
student
design
teams.
Engineering 5 building from indoor walkway
To apply, contact enginfo@uwaterloo.ca or Find Out More on the University of Waterloo website.
The real motivation behind starting Thalmic Labs was applying what we learned in Waterloo's mechatronics program to something that could change the face of computing. Mechatronics engineering combines electronics, mechanical design, software engineering and system integration. Myo, our first product, is a great example of a system like this. The interdisciplinary framework, co-op experience and project-emphasis in Waterloo are conducive to product development." - Stephen Lake, BASc 2012, Co-Founder, Thalmic Labs