From drones to self-driving cars, Sinclair has received investments to develop curriculum for cutting-edge fields in technology. Recently, Sinclair has partnered with Chrysler Fiat and General Motors to develop curriculum for self-driving vehicle technology.
A sum of just under $753,000 has been awarded as a grant from the National Science Foundation. Part of that money will go to purchasing a Tesla and a Cadillac to both promote local use and education of the self-driving cars in Dayton.
The Automotive Technology major offers students a variety of internship opportunities with local companies, meanwhile providing pathways to certification and degrees.
The grant will allow Automotive Technology faculty members Justin Morgan, James Truxall and Thomas Freels to oversee the development and education of 40 community college faculty on self-driving cars.
The grant comes as number 57 from the NSF, which has awarded Sinclair more grants than it has any other community college in the nation.
Sinclair currently has over $4 million in funding for active projects with this latest addition from the NSF. Sinclair has received over $25 million since 1989 from the NSF.
Sinclair has had an interest in pursuing unmanned systems since their development of the Unmanned Aerial Systems degree path. With a $5 million investment into the UAS testing center, the school has had discussions about the potential of a 4-year degree pathway.
However, legislation like House Bill 474 has been met with pushback. The bill would allow Sinclair to offer four-year programs, in which Sinclair has expressed interest in at least ten fields.
While there is no current four year pathway, Sinclair’s health programs will be consolidated this coming Fall Semester into the new Health Sciences Center. The move continues to strengthen Sinclair’s role in the economy of local health fields.
The $31 million renovation was approved by the Board of Trustees back in December of 2016. Along with the Health Science Center renovation was the approval of measures to “add a front door” to the Dayton campus.
Governor Kasich has invested millions into self-driving car technology and drone research, seeing the potential for Ohio jobs to grow in these fields.
Barton Kleen
Executive Editor