SOUTHEAST INSTRUCTOR EARNS GRANT

A Southeast instructor of industrial technology has been awarded a $3,995 software grant from the Society of Manufacturing Engineers' (SME) Manufacturing Engineering Education Foundation.

Ted Loso, instructor of industrial technology in Southeast's College of Science and Technology, is the recipient of the award.

The grant, approved by the foundation's board of directors at its annual meeting earlier this year, is part of $4,121,809 in cash grants, in-kind gifts and special awards presented to 88 universities and technical institutions by the SME Education Foundation for 1992.

The grant will provide an Autodesk AutoCAD Software gift sponsored by Autodesk for Southeast's industrial technology department.

"I am very pleased," Loso said. "Faculty members and students in the department of industrial technology will benefit significantly from this software award which will be used in the computer-integrated manufacturing lab. Without this grant, we would be unable to purchase this software. This grant will allow us to use state-of-the art software."

For the 1992 funding period, 132 proposals were received. Foundation President Frank Riley, senior vice president of Bodine Corp. of Bridgeport, Conn. said they awarded $428,760 in cash grants, another $3,682,549 in-kind equipment and software grants. In-kind gifts include CAD/CAM software, milling machines, lathes, and robots donated by companies that support the purpose and goals of the foundation.

Since its inception in 1979, the SME Foundation has awarded nearly $5 million in cash and more than $8.5 million in equipment and software grants to 283 colleges and universities to promote manufacturing engineering programs.

The SME Foundation grants are awarded each year to spur new developments in manufacturing technology and productivity and to further manufacturing engineering as an educational discipline.

The SME Foundation cash grants are made in five areas: capital equipment, student development, faculty development, curriculum development and research initiation.

SME, founded in 1932, is celebrating 60 years of service to the manufacturing community. As an international professional society, SME remains dedicated to its original mission of advancing scientific knowledge in the field of manufacturing engineering and management. Headquartered in Dearborn, Mich., SME has more than 75,000 members in 70 countries and sponsors more than 350 senior chapters and 200 student chapters worldwide.