August 8, 2000

University Students from Venezuela Attend NC State Manufacturing Practicum

A group of 30 industrial engineering seniors from the Universidad Catolica Andres Bello (UCAB), Caracas, Venezuela, are attending a Manufacturing Practicum at NC State University this summer.

The three-week short course, which ends August 11, is conducted by NC State's Department of Industrial Engineering in its manufacturing systems laboratories. The aim of the program is to give the visiting students an opportunity for an educational and cultural experience in a new environment. The summer class includes 10 women and 20 men.

Dr. James B. Taylor, NC State assistant professor in industrial engineering, and Dr. Vicente Napolitano, director of UCAB's School of Industrial Engineering, are leaders of the practicum. With support from Black and Decker, the students are designing and assembling a manufacturing system for the production of battery-powered saws. They are also visiting manufacturing companies in the Research Triangle area.

In addition to Taylor and Napolitano, others on the short course faculty and staff are UCAB Professor Daniel Saloni, Andres L. Carrano, NC State research assistant in industrial engineering, and Jason C. Low, manager of the industrial engineering department's GM Laboratory.

Taylor explained that the practicum was initiated when Carrano, a UCAB alumnus and an NC State industrial engineering graduate student, expressed an interest in developing a summer program for UCAB students. "Since more students from Venezuela have expressed enthusiasm for attending the practicum, we hope to expand the program next summer to include two sessions," said Taylor.

He noted further that the manufacturing practicum is an example of the educational, cultural, and technology transfer mission that NC State encourages.

--yionoulis--

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