STUDENTS, INSTRUCTOR WIN INNOVATOR OF YEAR HONOR

Two students and their instructor at Southeast Missouri State University took third in Zenith Data Systems' "Innovators of the Year" fourth annual international competition.

Ralph Pittman, Southeast associate professor of industrial technology, and two of his students Tim Pickett of Charleston and Jeff Matthews of Fenton won the award based on a written entry describing their work in a spring semester course titled "Manufacturing Research in a Global Society."

The class placed students on-site at Dana Corp. of Cape Girardeau where they designed a facilities plan for Dana's Case line. The line is a manufacturing process used to produce differential gears for automobiles.

The competition drew about 200 entries from faculty, staff and students at high schools, colleges and universities in the United States and Canada. Twenty entries received awards through the program which is designed to honor innovative applications in particular areas of study or research.

For their entry, Pittman and the students won $3,000 in Zenith Data computer equipment. In addition, an abstract outlining their work at Dana will be featured in a book compiled by Zenith Data.

The winning entry was the result of a three-hour senior level course, offered by Southeast's industrial technology department in association with the University Studies Program.

"I was both very pleased and very surprised," Pittman said. "When you enter a program like this in the United States and Canada, you are up against a lot of competition. This will bring national attention to our department, the University Studies Program and to Southeast."

The course, taught for the first time by Pittman last spring, introduced students to the industrial environment by requiring them to conduct actual research and development projects drafted by local industries.

Dana Corp., as well as Spartech Plastics Corp. of Cape Girardeau, Purolator Products of Dexter and NPS Corp. of Perryville, participated in the course.

"We wanted to get students involved in research and development facilities and to give them exposure to the real world," Pittman said.

Nineteen students were divided into seven research groups that studied plant layout, industrial safety, machine utilization, preventative maintenance and quality control. With each, students wrote proposals and later presented their findings to the companies' boards of directors.

At Dana Corp., Pickett and Matthews focused on plant layout.

"It was very beneficial to the students and our people here," said Terry Drennan, Dana plant manager. "It gave them a hands-on approach in a dynamic manufacturing setting."

As a result of the course, Dana has implemented the students' recommendations "exactly as they presented them," said Drennan.

Pittman said he is thrilled with the overall results of the new course and the benefits it provides to both students and manufacturers.

"I was extremely pleased as the instructor of the course at the rate of acceptance of the course among the students," he said. "They agree it was worth the effort because of the experience gained in the field."

Area manufacturers also are served.

"The industries get the full benefit of the research activities," Pittman said. "That is significant in that we have shown considerable savings to these local industries. The research projects were very fruitful for both the students and the industries, and the students were able to bring new information to the industries."

Also, the initial research activity has spawned additional project requests by some participating industries for future classes, Pittman said.