Posted on October 01, 2020
A unique new program at Queen’s Engineering is combining the strengths of two leading-edge departments – and setting the pace for Canadian engineering schools.
“Mechatronics and robotics are both taught in various forms across Canada, but never in combination, and never quite like this,” says Dean Kevin Deluzio of Queen’s Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science. “This program has been years in the making, and combines not only the best of two of our departments, but also significant investments in technology, program development, and faculty recruitment. Queen’s Engineering has always been a leader in mechanical, electrical and computer engineering. This builds on those core strengths to deliver something unique to students across Canada and the world.”
Mechatronics and Robotics Engineering (MRE) is a four-year program that offers direct entry: as opposed to the usual first-year Engineering common core and program selection going into second year, students apply for MRE when they apply to Queen’s, and move directly into the program in first year.
In the first three years, students take a broad range of engineering courses – ranging from automation to fluid power to computer architecture to robotics and control. “Even with a program that sounds as specific as this, it’s a very broad area of study,” says Keyvan Hastrudi-Zaad, the MRE Curriculum Chair and a professor in the Queen’s Electrical and Computer Engineering department. “In their 4th year, we allow students to choose from four specializations: automation, robotics, biomedical and intelligent systems. It’s vital that our students be able to drill down into a specific area, and take what they’ve learned in four years of study forward into a level of expertise that no other Canadian engineering school can offer.”
The program launches September 2021, meaning that students applying to Queen’s this fall could be in the very first cohort of this distinctive program.
“Queen’s Engineering produces leaders,” says Brian Surgenor, the MRE Program Director and Professor in the Queen’s Mechanical and Materials Engineering department. “I’m excited for this year’s applicants, and their opportunity to be leaders not only in the profession, but in this program, as our first graduating MRE class in 2025. I am particularly proud of the multidisciplinary design spine that we have developed that is integrated through the four years of study.”
More details about Queen’s Engineering MRE can be found at https://mre.engineering.queensu.ca. Students interested in direct entry to the program for the September 2021 launch should contact Queen’s Admissions at https://www.queensu.ca/apply.