Engineering Commons^™

Perfluorooctanesulfonic Acid Exposure Leads To Downregulation Of 3-Hydroxy-3-Methylglutaryl-Coa Synthase 2 Expression And Upregulation Of Markers Associated With Intestinal Carcinogenesis In Mouse Intestinal Tissues, Josiane Weber Tessmann, Pan Deng, Jerika Durham, Chang Li, Moumita Banerjee, Qingding Wang, Ryan A. Goettl, Daheng He, Chi Wang, Eun Y. Lee, B. Mark Evers, Bernhard Hennig, Yekaterina Y. Zaytseva

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

Perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) is a widely recognized environment pollutant known for its high bio- accumulation potential and a long elimination half-life. Several studies have shown that PFOS can alter multiple biological pathways and negatively affect human health. Considering the direct exposure to the gastrointestinal (GI) tract to environmental pollutants, PFOS can potentially disrupt intestinal homeostasis. However, there is limited knowledge about the effect of PFOS exposure on normal intestinal tissues, and its contribution to GI- associated diseases remains to be determined. In this study, we examined the effect of PFOS exposure on the gene expression profile of intestinal tissues of …

Inaugural Future Of Bse Days: Workshop Report, Mark Stone

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Presentations and White Papers

The inaugural Future of BSE Days (FBD) event, held on May 2-3, 2024, brought together the Biological Systems Engineering (BSE) community to discuss and shape the future of work and learning within the field. The event was designed to foster collaboration between faculty, students, industry leaders, and alumni, with the goal of reimagining the department’s educational approach, enhancing industry partnerships, and preparing students for the challenges of tomorrow. Over the course of two days, participants engaged in insightful discussions, workshops, and presentations that highlighted both the strengths of the department and opportunities for growth.

The workshop resulted in several key …

Stage And Discharge Prediction From Documentary Time-Lapse Imagery, Kenneth W. Chapman, Troy E. Gilmore, Mehrube Mehrubeoglu, Christian D. Chapman, Aaron R. Mittelstet, John E. Stranzl Jr.

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Imagery from fixed, ground-based cameras is rich in qualitative and quantitative information that can improve stream discharge monitoring. For instance, time-lapse imagery may be valuable for filling data gaps when sensors fail and/or during lapses in funding for monitoring programs. In this study, we used a large image archive (> 40,000 images from 2012 to 2019) from a fixed, ground-based camera that is part of a documentary watershed imaging project (https://plattebasintimelapse.com/). Scalar image features were extracted from daylight images taken at one-hour intervals. The image features were fused with United States Geological Survey stage and discharge data as …

Life Cycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions In Maize No-Till Agroecosystems In Southern Brazil Based On A Long-Term Experiment, Guilherme Rosa Da Silva, Adam J. Liska, Cimelio Bayer

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Brazilian agriculture is constantly questioned concerning its environmental impacts, particularly greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This research study used data from a 34-year field experiment to estimate the life cycle GHG emissions intensity of maize production for grain in farming systems under no-tillage (NT) and conventional tillage (CT) combined with Gramineae (oat) and legume (vetch) cover crops in southern Brazil. We applied the Feedstock Carbon Intensity Calculator for modeling the “field-to-farm gate” emissions with measured annual soil N₂O and CH₄ emissions data. For net CO₂ emissions, increases in soil organic C (SOC) were applied as a proxy, …

Student Use Of Anchors And Metacognitive Strategies In Reflection, Anu Singh, Heidi A. Diefes-Dux

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Context: Self-regulation, a skillset involving taking charge of one’s own learning processes, is crucial for workplace success. Learners develop self-regulation skills through reflection where they recognize weaknesses and strengths by employing metacognitive strategies: planning, monitoring, and evaluating. Use of anchors assists learners’ engagement in reflection. Purpose or Goal: The purpose of this work was to gain insight into students’ use of anchors when reflecting on their learning. The two research questions: (1) To what extent do students link their self-evaluation and learning objective (LO) self-ratings to their reflections? and (2) What dimensions and level of metacognitive strategies do students use …

Classification Of Sow Postures Using Convolutional Neural Network And Depth Images, Md Towfiqur Rahman, Tami M. Brown-Brandl, Gary A. Rohrer, Sudhendu R. Sharma, Yeyin Shi

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

The United States swine industry reports an average preweaning mortality of approximately 16% where approximately 6% of them are attributed to piglets overlayed by sows. Detecting postural transitions and estimating sows’ time budgets for different postures are valuable information for breeders and engineering design of farrowing facilities to eventually reduce piglet death. Computer vision tools can help monitor changes in animal posture accurately and efficiently. To create a more robust system and eliminate varying lighting issues within a day including daytime/ nighttime differences, there is an advantage to using depth cameras over digital cameras. In this study, a computer vision …

Machine Learning-Based Disease Classification In Tomato (Solanum Lycopersicum) Plants = Klasifikasi Penyakit Berbasis Pembelajaran Mesin Pada Tanaman Tomat (Solanum Lycopersicum), Md Towfiqur Rahman, Sudipto Dhar Dipto, Israt Jahan June, Abdul Momin, Muhammad Rashed Al Mamun

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

English abstract

In Bangladesh, tomato cultivation faces significant challenges due to its susceptibility to various microorganisms, parasites, and bacterial infections. Typically, the early symptoms of these diseases first appear in roots and leaves, complicating timely detection. This study addresses the challenge of timely and accurate detection of diseases in tomato plants, crucial for effective plant protection management. Conventional manual inspection methods are time-consuming and subjective, resulting in delays in implementing necessary protection measures. Therefore, an image processing technique and machine learning algorithms were used for rapid and robust detection of diseases in tomato plant leaves, aiming to streamline the detection …

A Validation Of Wepp Water Quality Routines In Uniform And Nonuniform Agricultural Hillslopes, Ryan P. Mcgehee, Dennis C. Flanagan, Bernard A. Engel, John E. Gilley

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Nutrients in agricultural runoff may cause offsite environmental impacts. The objective of this investigation was to examine nutrient transport by overland sheet flow on sites containing swine slurry. Data examined in this study was collected during field rainfall simulation tests conducted on cropland sites in southeast Nebraska, USA. Inflow was added to the top of experimental plots in four successive increments to simulate runoff rates occurring at greater downslope distances. Runoff rates on the experimental sites ranged from 2.3 to 21.2 L min 1 and maximum equivalent downslope distances varied from 5 to 108 m. Phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) …

Experimental Investigation On Properties Of Sugarcane Bagasse Fiberboard Manufactured With Different Techniques, Amany G. Micheal Prof., Marianne Nabil Girgis Ass. Prof., Omar Mohasen Khalaf Eng.

Architectural Engineering

Within an ongoing research project investigating the use of sugarcane bagasse (SCB) to develop different building materials, this article adopts an experimental approach to determine the effect of the manufacturing technique on proposed composite fiberboards. Two different prototypes of composite fiberboards are developed using (SCB) as a natural fiber, and different matrices are tested. The epoxy resin and polyester resin are used as the alternative matrices. Fiberboards are proposed to be used as cladding boards or as internal furnishing units material instead of using MDF or HDF that exploit the usage of natural soft or hard wood that is unrecyclable, …

Characterization Of Recent Wild Pig‑Vehicle Collisions In Georgia, Usa, Jeremiah L. Psiropoulos, Emily Howe, John J. Mayer, Sophie C. Mckee

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Vehicle collisions with wild pigs (Sus scrofa) are reported almost everywhere this species is found. However, this is one of the least studied and characterized forms of damage that these invasive animals cause in the United States (US). We analyzed 518 wild pig-vehicle collisions (WPVCs) that took place statewide in Georgia between 2015 and 2021. From that dataset, we analyzed several parameters in order to better understand and characterize these accidents on a scale that had previously not been done in the US. Wild pig-vehicle collisions were reported from 105 out of the 159 counties in Georgia, increasing …

Salmonella Detection In Food Using A Hek-Htlr5 Reported Cell-Based Sensor, Esma Eser, Victoria A. Felton, Rishi Drolia, Arun K. Bhunia

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The development of a rapid, sensitive, specific method for detecting foodborne pathogens is paramount for supplying safe food to enhance public health safety. Despite the significant improvement in pathogen detection methods, key issues are still associated with rapid methods, such as distinguishing living cells from dead, the pathogenic potential or health risk of the analyte at the time of consumption, the detection limit, and the sample-to-result. Mammalian cell-based assays analyze pathogens’ interaction with host cells and are responsive only to live pathogens or active toxins. In this study, a human embryonic kidney (HEK293) cell line expressing Toll-Like Receptor 5 (TLR-5) …

Receptor-Targeted Next-Generation Probiotics Ameliorate Mammalian Colitis, Nicholas L. F. Gallina, Vignesh Nathan, Akshay Krishnakumar, Dongqi Liu, Rishi Drolia, Nicole Irrizary Tardi, Yang Fu, Manalee Samadar, Shivendra Tenguria, Alvin Cai, Ruth Eunice Centeno-Martinez, Timothy A. Johnson, Abigail Cox, Lavanya Reddivari, Bruce Applegate, Xingjian Bai, Luping Xu, Deepti Tanjore, Ramesh Vemulapalli, Rahim Rahimi, Arun K. Bhunia

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Introduction: a loss of intestinal barrier function, inflammation, and an elevated expression of epithelial heat shock protein 60 (Hsp60) are features of an inflamed bowel. Probiotics have been used to alleviate colitis-induced pathologies, but offer poor adhesion and adaptation to the diseased gut. We hypothesize that enhancing probiotic adhesion in the inflamed bowel may ameliorate such pathologies. Listeria adhesion protein (LAP; 94-kDa acetaldehyde alcohol dehydrogenase) aids Listeria attachment to the epithelial cells by interacting with the mammalian receptor Hsp60. Bioengineered Lactobacillus casei probiotics (BLPs) expressing LAP showed strong interaction with epithelial Hsp60, a high immunomodulatory response, and sustained epithelial barrier …

Ai And Ml-Based Risk Assessment Of Chemicals: Predicting Carcinogenic Risk From Chemical-Induced Genomic Instability, Ajay Vikram Singh, Preeti Bhardwaj, Peter Laux, Prachi Pradeep, Madleen Busse, Andreas Luch, Akihiko Hirose, Christopher J. Osgood, Michael W. Stacey

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Chemical risk assessment plays a pivotal role in safeguarding public health and environmental safety by evaluating the potential hazards and risks associated with chemical exposures. In recent years, the convergence of artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and omics technologies has revolutionized the field of chemical risk assessment, offering new insights into toxicity mechanisms, predictive modeling, and risk management strategies. This perspective review explores the synergistic potential of AI/ML and omics in deciphering clastogen-induced genomic instability for carcinogenic risk prediction. We provide an overview of key findings, challenges, and opportunities in integrating AI/ML and omics technologies for chemical risk assessment, …

Modelled Effectiveness Of Nbs In Reducing Disaster Risk: Evidence From The Operandum Project, Paul Bowyer, Silvia Maria Alfieri, Bidroha Basu, Emilie Cremin, Sisay Debele, Prashant Kumar, Veronika Lechner, Michael Loupis, Massimo Menenti, Slobodan Mickovski, Jan Pfeiffer, Francesco Pilla, Beatrice Pulvirenti, Paolo Ruggieri, Arunima Sarkar Basu, Christos Spyrou, Silvia Unguendoli, Thomas Zieher, Silviana Di Sabatino

Publications

The use of nature-based solutions (NbS) to address the risks posed by hydro-meteorological hazards have not yet become part of the mainstream policy response, and one of the main reasons cited for this, is the lack of evidence that they can effectively reduce disaster risk. This paper addresses this issue, by providing model-based evidence from five European case studies which demonstrate the effectiveness of five different NbS in reducing the magnitude of the hazard and thus risk, in present-day and possible future climates. In OAL-Austria, the hazard is a deep-seated landslide, and the NbS analysed is afforestation. Modelling results …

Mixing Measurement On Hydrogen Jet By Libs Under Various Injection Strategies, Youngmin Ki, Jungho Justin Kim, Seong Young Lee, Joonsik Hwang, Choongsik Bae

Michigan Tech Publications

Favorable fuel properties of hydrogen for combustion system opens a new avenue to achieve deep decarbonization in transportation sector. Meanwhile, various technical challenges including low volumetric energy density, nitrogen oxide emissions, and backfire impede successful implementation of hydrogen in combustion engines. To overcome those issues, stratified charge combustion (SCC) is considered to optimize engine performance and emissions. As direct injection approach is utilized in SCC mode, ensuring quality of air-fuel mixing in combustion chamber is crucial. This study aims to understand hydrogen mixing behavior by quantitative measurement on equivalence ratio using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS). This measurement has been conducted …

Prediction Of Chlorophyll-A As An Index Of Harmful Algal Blooms Using Machine Learning Models, Ibrahim Busari, Debrabata Sahoo, R. Daren Harmel, Brian E. Haggard

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The complex dynamics of freshwater harmful algal blooms (HABs) necessitate proactive monitoring approaches to mitigate their impacts. The rapid breakthrough in computing prowess and statistical advances is triggering the development of data-driven techniques such as machine learning (ML) models, which have been shown in different fields to be instrumental in finding patterns for explaining relationships in observed data. This study assesses the ability of ML models for HABs monitoring in a lake using chlorophyll-a concentration as the index. The selected models for this study were regression tree, random forest (RF), multilayer perceptron (MLP), support vector regression (SVR), long short-term memory …

Advancing Household Robotics: Deep Interactive Reinforcement Learning For Efficient Training And Enhanced Performance, Arpita Soni, Sujatha Alla, Suresh Dodda, Hemanth Volikatla

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

The market for domestic robots—made to perform household chore, is growing as these robots relieve people of everyday responsibilities. Domestic robots are generally welcomed for their role in easing human labour, in contrast to industrial robots, which are frequently criticised for displacing human workers. But before these robots can carry out domestic chores, they need to become proficient in a number of minor activities, such as recognizing their surroundings, making decisions, and picking up on human behaviours. Reinforcement learning, or RL, has emerged as a key robotics technology that enables robots to interact with their environment and learn how to …

Improving Neuropathological Analysis With Aβgan: Addressing Morphology Imbalance For Efficient Alzheimer's Disease Diagnosis, Sujatha Alla, Prasanthi Chidipudi, Nagesh Bheesetty, Vedvikash Reddy Velur, Joshit Mohanty, Puneeth Bheesetty, Marisha Jmukhadze, Narendra Lakshmana Gowda, Sai Gireesh Komaragiri

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

Histopathologists are experiencing a digital revolution in their field thanks to the digitization of Whole Slide Images (WSIs), which are microscope slides of tissue that can measure gigapixels in size. With so much high resolution data at their disposal, computer vision techniques can now be used to automate laboratory processes, create visual standards, and increase analysis throughput, all of which reduce the workload of pathologists [1]. The "gold" standard in neuropathology, particularly for Alzheimer's Disease- is pathological diagnosis made by looking at White Matter Inclusions (WSIs) in brain tissue. Semi-quantitative scoring in accordance with the standards established by the Consortium …

Countermeasures To Improve Pedestrian Safety On Arterials, Nicholas Ferenchak

Publications

This work analyzed the pedestrian safety and overall traffic safety impacts – in terms of both motor vehicle speeds and crash outcomes – of several countermeasures applied to the Central Avenue arterial corridor in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Findings suggest that the infrastructure changes associated with a bus rapid transit (BRT) system improved traffic safety by reducing vehicle 85^th percentile speeds by 11.5% and reducing serious and fatal injuries by 60.0%. While pedestrian safety outcomes were more variable, pedestrians generally fared better on BRT segments than on control segments. The mechanism behind these improvements was traffic calming through the BRT’s …

Fluid Dynamics And Leukocyte Transit In The Lymphatic System, Huabing Li, Jingjing Zhang, Timothy Padera, James W. Baish, Lance Munn

Faculty Journal Articles

The lymphatic system plays a vital role in maintaining fluid balance in living tissue and serves as a pathway for the transport of antigen, immune cells, and metastatic cancer cells. In this study, we investigate how the movement of cells through a contracting lymphatic vessel differs from steady flow, using a lattice Boltzmann-based computational model. Our model consists of cells carried by flow in a 2D vessel with regularly spaced, bi-leaflet valves that ensure net downstream flow as the vessel walls contract autonomously in response to calcium and nitric oxide levels regulated by stretch and shear stress levels. The orientation …

Using Tensile And Compressive Stress Superposition During Incremental Forming To Manipulate Martensitic Transformation In Ss304, Elizabeth M. Mamros, Fabian Maaß, A. Erman Tekkaya, Brad L. Kinsey, Jinjin Ha

Faculty Conference Papers and Presentations

Single point incremental forming (SPIF) is a flexible manufacturing process that has applications in industries ranging from biomedical to automotive. In addition to rapid prototyping, which requires easy adaptations in geometry or material for design changes, control of the final part properties is desired. One strategy that can be implemented is stress superposition, which is the application of additional stresses during an existing manufacturing process. Tensile and compressive stresses applied during SPIF showed significant effects on the resulting microstructure in stainless steel 304 truncated square pyramids. Specifically, the amount of martensitic transformation was increased through stress superposed incremental forming. Finite …

Effects Of Crate Size On Mortality And Postural Behavior In Post-Farrowing Sows, Md Towfiqur Rahman, Tami M. Brown-Brandl, Gary A. Rohrer, Sudhendu R. Sharma, Yeyin Shi

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Preweaning mortality (PWM) is a economic and animal well-being issue for swine producers in the US. On average, producers face about a 16% pre-weaning mortality. A significant portion of this, around 6%, is because sows accidentally overlay their piglets in farrowing crates. The posture behavior of sow plays a vital role in overlaying piglets and this behavior has a significant effect on farrowing crate dimensions. This study aims to explore the interplay between farrowing crate size, mortality rates, and postural behavior in post-farrowing sows. This study employed three farrowing stalls: Traditional (T), Expanded creep area (C), and Expanded sow area …

Closing Dichloramine Decomposition Nitrogen And Oxygen Mass Balances: Relative Importance Of End-Products From The Reactive Nitrogen Species Pathway, Huong T. Pham, David G. Wahman, Julian L. Fairey

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

In drinking water chloramination, monochloramine autodecomposition occurs in the presence of excess free ammonia through dichloramine, the decay of which was implicated in N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) formation by (i) dichloramine hydrolysis to nitroxyl which reacts with itself to nitrous oxide (N₂O), (ii) nitroxyl reaction with dissolved oxygen (DO) to peroxynitrite or mono/dichloramine to nitrogen gas (N₂), and (iii) peroxynitrite reaction with total dimethylamine (TOTDMA) to NDMA or decomposition to nitrite/nitrate. Here, the yields of nitrogen and oxygen-containing end-products were quantified at pH 9 from NHCl₂ decomposition at 200, 400, or 800 μeq Cl₂·L …

Orbit Determination Demonstration Using Onboard One-Way Radiometrics From The Iris Radio On The Capstone Mission, Todd A. Ely, Anthony Zara, Dana Sorensen, Zaid J. Towfic, Connor Ott, Alec Forsman, John D. Baker

Space Dynamics Laboratory Publications

Onboard one-way radiometric tracking from an Iris Radio paired with a Chip Scale Atomic Clock (CSAC) on NASA’s CAPSTONE mission has been collected and demonstrated to be able to determine its near rectilinear halo orbit. This is a first-ever demonstration of one-way radiometric tracking originating from the DSN and being collected onboard a spacecraft. For CAPSTONE, the tracking data from the Iris/CSAC pair are shown to have sufficient accuracy to enable future autonomous radio navigation for missions with modest navigation requirements. This work will compare the space-based data with prior ground-based test results, as well as assess CAPSTONE’s orbit solution …

Target Size Estimation Through Sensor Fusion, Morgan Davidson, Cory Brinck, Kori Moore, Tanner Chase

Space Dynamics Laboratory Publications

Target size is an important quantity in both classification and multi-sensor target tracking applications, but it is often an unknown. In some imaging applications, target size is assumed based on classification results. This assumed size is sometimes used in the synthesis of range measurements from monocular imagery, based on the apparent target size that is observed. Range-from-apparent-size measurements may be the only range measurements available during times when sensors that produce range information (such as radar) are not available. This range-from-apparent-size approach is typically plagued by range bias in the resulting measurements due to several factors. In this work, we …

Immersive Visualization In Infrastructure Planning: Enhancing Long-Term Resilience And Sustainability, Dalya Ismael

Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

Infrastructure decisions today significantly impact future generations' quality of life, especially as severe storms and rising sea levels increasingly threaten communities across the United States. Decision-makers at all levels, including those involved in disaster prevention and response, must address climate change. However, those in infrastructure design and construction often prioritize immediate gains over long-term resilience. Engineering teams typically employ decision tools to manage complexity, but these methods may not highlight the long-term consequences of their choices. This study tests whether integrating Virtual Reality (VR) technology with engineering decision-making tools, can enhance engineers’ ability to visualize the future impacts of their …

Uncertainty Quantification In Large Language Models Through Convex Hull Analysis, Ferhat Ozgur Catak, Murat Kuzlu

Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

Uncertainty quantification approaches have been more critical in large language models (LLMs), particularly high-risk applications requiring reliable outputs. However, traditional methods for uncertainty quantification, such as probabilistic models and ensemble techniques, face challenges when applied to the complex and high-dimensional nature of LLM-generated outputs. This study proposes a novel geometric approach to uncertainty quantification using convex hull analysis. The proposed method leverages the spatial properties of response embeddings to measure the dispersion and variability of model outputs. The prompts are categorized into three types, i.e., ’easy’, ’moderate’, and ’confusing’, to generate multiple responses using different LLMs at varying temperature settings. …

Long-Term Impact Of A Semester-Long Multidisciplinary Service-Learning Assignment In A Fluid Mechanics Course, Orlando M. Ayala, Kristie Gutierrez, Isaac Koduah Kumi, Francisco Cima, Stacie I. Ringleb, Krishnanand Kaipa, Danielle M. Rhemer, Pilar Pazos, Jennifer Jill Kidd

Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

Seventy-three students who enrolled in a senior-year level fluid mechanics course during spring semesters from 2019-2023 were asked about their perceptions on the impact in their professional preparation of a semester-long multidisciplinary service-learning assignment. This paper aims to evaluate their current perceived impact of the assignment (long-term impact) and whether it might have changed from when they took the course (short-term impact). The project tested their creativity, knowledge of fluid mechanics concepts, and skills to work with people from other disciplines. They were told that they were working for a hypothetical company, “Engineering is for all,” and were assigned to …

Four Decades Of Distance Learning Instruction In An Electrical Engineering Technology Program, Otilia Popescu, Isaac L. Flory Iv, John R. Hackworth, Murat Kuzlu

Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

Online instruction is no longer a new or seldom used modality. It has grown over the last few decades, reaching a pinnacle during the recent pandemic. Different institutions and different programs chose different approaches for the online delivery of courses, adopting either synchronous or asynchronous deliveries for online students, and hybrid delivery for mixed groups of campus and online students attending the classes in a live or synchronous manner. This paper’s main goal is to present the history of over 40 years of distance learning in an Electrical Engineering Technology program and how the delivery mode progressed over time. While …

Advancing The Manufacturing Engineering Technology Pathway: Innovating And Developing The Curriculum (Courses And Labs) From Associate To Bachelor's Level, Afi Anuar, Vukica Jovanovic, Nathan Luetke, Hamid Eisazadeh, Isaac Flory Iv, Mileta Tomović, Anthony W. Dean

Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

The southeastern region of Virginia, specifically Hampton Roads, has a diverse manufacturing landscape encompassing a range of enterprises, from small businesses to large corporations. This sector includes shipbuilding, construction machinery, aeronautics, and food processing. However, both the region and the broader state of Virginia are struggling with a skilled labor shortage that fails to meet the demands of these manufacturing enterprises. This paper aims to provide insights into the recently established Manufacturing Engineering Technology (MFET) program at Old Dominion University, located in Norfolk, Virginia. The MFET program features a comprehensive curriculum, encompassing the development of new courses and the establishment …