After working for a couple years for India's largest automotive company (TELCO), in 1977 Dr. Ramesh Varahamurti left India and arrived at Pullman, Washington for the purpose of completing a Masters and a PhD. from Washington State University. Even in the mid 1970s Dr. Varahamurti recognized the potential of integrated mechanical, electrical and computer engineering into one powerful degree program. At that time Mechatronic Engineering was not well known and he was met with perplexed opposition and had to settle for primarily Mechanical Engineering classes. "They just wouldn't let me do it," says Varahamurti. "I knew that the two could be connected, in an integrated way. But at the time, I didn't know there was even a name for what I wanted to do. I didn't even know Mechatronics existed." Although he was not able to obtain a degree in the combined fields, his Master's thesis centered on optimal controls in aerospace simulation. After earning a Master's and a Ph.D. Dr. Varahamurti from Washington State University, he continued to focus on integrating Mechanical, Electrical and Computer Engineering as a professor at California State University, Chico.
Read more . . .

CSU, Chico, has the only accredited Mechatronic engineering program in the United States. As there is no national professional organization for Mechatronic engineers, CSU, Chico has established the American Institute of Mechatronic Engineers (AIME) for students at CSU, Chico who are interested in Mechatronic engineering. The club's web site is www.csuchico.edu/aime.

What does AIME do?

AIME has regular meetings to discuss issues of interest to its members. It also sponsors a team to compete in the "Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International Annual Intelligent Ground Vehicle Competition" held in Rochester, Michigan. Read more . . .

The California State University, Chico, program is grounded in the fundamentals of mechanical, electrical and computer engineering. On top of that is learning how to design, analyze and test products or processes that incorporate computers, sensors and actuators. The third leg is teaching students to work as members of an interdisciplinary team; a critical part of Mechatronic education.

"Integration is key," says Dr. Ramesh Varahamurti, who arrived at Chico State in 1984 as an associate professor of mechanical engineering. He became chairman of the Mechanical Engineering Dept. in 1991 and the Mechatronics Program coordinator in the late 1990s, while maintaining a full professorship.

Students must earn 132 credits, including general education, which is required of all Chico State students. A year-long capstone project in the senior year is the hallmark of the program.
Read more . . .