The Intelligent Systems Center (ISC) and Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation (OVCRI) will co-host a seminar on Friday 3/11 at noon featuring the Founding Director of the Kummer Institute Center for Advanced Manufacturing.

The seminar will have an in-person option in 204 Computer Science and a Zoom option for those that prefer to attend virtually.  To attend via Zoom, use meeting ID 917 6127 2583, followed by passcode 151915.

Light refreshments will be served.

Abstract for the seminar:

The Kummer Institute Center for Advanced Manufacturing has been founded for the express purpose of carrying out two distinct missions:

1.  to promote economic development for Rolla and Southern Missouri through the location of Missouri manufacturing companies and their employees within the Missouri Protoplex (the future home of KICAM) to carry out advanced manufacturing research and development; and

2.  to increase S&T research across the university by co-locating faculty with manufacturers within the Protoplex to carry out research in manufacturing and new product development in cooperation with these companies.

KICAM will carry out its mission with industrial-sized equipment and will conduct research in the TRL 4–6 range. The focus of KICAM will be to promote research in support of existing S&T research centers. The Missouri Protoplex building is a 217,000 square foot building with 80,000 square feet of manufacturing high bay space. Early thinking for programming for KICAM and the Missouri Protoplex building is currently under discussion, but will be decided by June 2022.

About the Speaker:

Dr. Richard Billo has recently accepted the position as founding director of the Kummer Institute Center for Advanced Manufacturing and professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at Missouri S&T. In this role, Billo’s intention is to co-locate S&T faculty with Missouri manufacturers for the purpose of advancing economic development and manufacturing research for the region. Previously, he served as associate vice president for research, associate dean for engineering research, and department head of industrial and manufacturing engineering at the University of Notre Dame, University of Texas at Arlington, and Oregon State University, respectively. Billo has also held the position as head of the editorial board for the Journal of Manufacturing Processes and the Journal of Manufacturing Systems. He has been recognized by his peers through awarding of the Outstanding Faculty Award and Whiteford Faculty Fellowship. He has five issued patents from which were issued four licenses to industry for his research in manufacturing and information systems, and has published over 100 research articles.