Columbus State University officially opened its new Robotics Engineering Lab Thursday, May 6 during a ribbon-cutting ceremony. CSU hosts the state’s only bachelor’s and master’s degree programs in robotics engineering. “We are helping students build and flex their creative muscles, and to take what they learn to solve real-world problems and discover unexpected solutions. We’re building tomorrow’s creative workforce — your creative workforce — today through programs like robotics engineering. In doing so, we are helping to change the landscape of our community and fuel the thriving economy of Columbus and beyond,” said Chris Markwood, CSU president.

In just its first semester enrolling students, the program has already grown to 26 undergraduates and three graduate students — with a goal of at least 50 undergraduates and 10 master’s students. These current and future students will be able to access the equipment to advance their research and work on projects involving artificial intelligence, robotics design, and image processing.

The new laboratory will engage undergraduate and master’s students in research and robotic design work early in their educational careers. The end goal is to connect the program’s graduates to this high-demand field and this innovative, high-tech workforce on the local, regional and international levels.

“We are a creative university emphasizing 21st century skills through our education curriculum and research. Our students are trained to excel at all facets of robotics — be it mechanical, electrical or computational,” added Dr. Mahmut Reyhanoglu, robotics program professor and director.

That training comes from experienced instructors and hands-on experience with state-of-the-art robotics systems available for students in the lab — which currently include a self-driving car, modern manipulator arm, a high-performance autonomous ground robot, and helicopter test beds. Students can also use 3D printers to watch their ideas go from software blueprints to physical objects.

In addition to CSU faculty, staff, and visitors, attendees included Maj. Gen. Patrick J. Donahoe, commanding general of the U.S. Army Maneuver Center of Excellence and Fort Benning.

“This facility will help us on Fort Benning as we look at both aerial and ground robotics. It’s going to change how the U.S. Army will operate in the field,” Donahoe said.

Endorsements from previous Fort Benning commanding generals Erik Wesley and Gary Brito, as well as city, business and Chamber of Commerce leaders, proved instrumental in Columbus State’s case for developing a program in robotics engineering. 

“From members of our Congressional delegation to business and Chamber leaders here at home, this program has been widely endorsed,” Markwood said. “Now with Dr. Reyhanoglu and his team here at CSU, we have expanded our ability to prepare students in the STEM fields and influence automation, commerce and economic development throughout the state and region.”

Columbus State University's accelerated robotics engineering program allows exceptional students to complete both the Bachelor of Science in Robotics Engineering (BSRE) and Master of Science in Robotics Engineering (MSRE) degrees in five years. These degrees prepare students for careers in robotics, automation, hardware development, software development and machine learning.

Additional information on the lab and CSU’s Robotics Engineering Program is available at https://columbusstate.edu/robotics. 

For media unable to attend, B-roll footage of the lab can be found at https://www.dropbox.com/s/tph5r1iq5l2of53/Robotics%20Open%20House%20Video%20%28revised%29.mp4?dl=0

Q&A with Dr. Mahmut Reyhanoglu: CSU’s New Director of Robotics Engineering

Columbus State University welcomes Dr. Mahmut Reyhanoglu as its new director of Robotics Engineering. Reyhanoglu holds degrees in aerospace, electrical and mechanical engineering and has spent his entire career teaching students and conducting research.

He joins CSU as the university opens its new robotics engineering lab to its first cohort of undergraduate and graduate students. 

Q: Welcome to Columbus State! Tell us a little bit about the unique robotics program at CSU.

Columbus State is proud to be the only college or university in Georgia that offers both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in robotics engineering. CSU’s robotics engineering program is student-focused and emphasizes creative 21st century skills.

Q: What careers are graduates of the program qualified for?

The driving force for the robotics engineering program at CSU has been our partners and regional stakeholders, like Fort Benning, Pratt & Whitney, Kia, Kodak and others who actually utilize some form of robotics systems. Our graduates can work as robotics engineers, automation engineers, hardware developers, or software developers — so the program offers them a broad range of career opportunities. 

Q: What kind of work will be the focus of our robotics engineering lab?

CSU’s Robotics Engineering Lab offers students state-of-the-art robotics systems, including a robot arm, an autonomous driving car, helicopter test beds, a ground robot with a vision system, and some new robotics systems that we will be extensively using in our classes and our research. The shop has the latest equipment in 2D machining. We have all the tools necessary to make the Robotics Engineering Program a successful experience for students and faculty researchers alike.

Q: What kind of hands-on research opportunities are available to undergraduate and graduate students?

In our lab, we want to enable students to do important research in robotics. We will have research opportunities for both undergraduate and graduate students. The students will be able to take undergraduate research classes, labs, work on projects with elements in image processing, artificial intelligence, robotics arm design and control, and area robotics systems. The goal is to get the undergraduate students, especially, involved early on in research. 

Q: How will having this program in Columbus help our greater community?

In 2018, the robotics market was about a $9 billion industry. We expect it to grow to about $40 billion by 2026. With the lack of robotics engineering education programs in the state, and few students prepared to enter that pipeline as new professionals, most of the money being spent by stakeholders has been going outside of the state. Our strategy is retaining or attracting those kinds of expenditures to the Columbus area  — to bring jobs for our graduates and to help further spur local economic and workforce development.