Emerson Partners with Texas A&M College of Engineering to Build Advanced Automation Laboratory

New facility will offer practical experience with next-generation automation, wireless and Industrial Internet of Things technologies, preparing workforce of the future

Future classes of undergraduate engineering students studying at Texas A&M University, one of the largest and most prestigious engineering schools in the United States, will have access to some of the most innovative advanced automation technologies in use at industrial facilities around the world as a result of a $1.5 million donation by global technology and engineering company Emerson EMR.

Emerson and Texas A&M today announced the establishment of the Emerson Advanced Automation Laboratory to be funded with the company's donation. The laboratory will provide Texas A&M engineering students a modern, high tech, active learning environment, simulating real-world plant operations found in manufacturing facilities for the oil and gas, refining, life sciences, food and beverage, and other industries. The laboratory will be an integral part of the university's new Zachry Engineering Education Complex, a 525,000-square foot, state-of-the-art facility scheduled to open this fall.

"Emerson is partnering with Texas A&M not only because it's one of the leading engineering schools in the country and has a great research component, but also because we are impressed with its efforts to enroll and graduate higher numbers of underrepresented groups in engineering, especially women," said Mike Train, executive president of Emerson Automation Solutions. "This investment builds on Emerson's commitment to STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education and training aspiring engineers and manufacturing workers to join the ‘digital workforce' that is in demand around the world."

In addition to the new advanced automation laboratory, Emerson will provide the process control equipment for a fully functional distillation column to facilitate hands-on teaching. Next door to the distillation column, students and faculty can meet to study and problem solve in the new Emerson Collaboration Room. Emerson will also work with the College of Engineering to integrate and expand its industrial wireless technologies throughout the Zachry Engineering Education Complex. Emerson's collaboration with Texas A&M extends beyond donations to include annual participation in the Texas A&M Instrumentation Symposium as well as participating in technical exchange sessions on campus that examine solutions to today's engineering challenges.

"We are grateful to Emerson for its support of this facility and providing our students with next-generation automation and wireless industrial technology to prepare Aggie engineers for the future," said M. Katherine Banks, vice chancellor and dean of engineering.

The Emerson Advanced Automation Laboratory is expected to serve 1,400 engineering students each year. Throughout the next eight years, Texas A&M projects its engineering enrollment to increase from 19,000 students to 25,000 students as part of the College of Engineering's 25 by 25 initiative. In addition to growth through retention, a key focus of the initiative is to provide increased inclusion of underrepresented groups in STEM education, and this past fall, Texas A&M boasted the largest entering class of female engineering students in the nation.

This ongoing Texas A&M program joins more than 350 institutions worldwide, from two-year technical community colleges to four-year university programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels, with which Emerson works to support STEM education.

The Emerson Advanced Automation Laboratory will include the company's DeltaV™ control system hardware and software, Fisher™ control valves, Rosemount™ measurement devices, Appleton™ field components, Micro Motion™ Coriolis meters and integrated simulation software. The lab will also feature maintenance training simulator equipment that will be fabricated by students studying at Ranken Technical College in St. Louis, Missouri, which has a manufacturing education and training partnership with Emerson.

About Emerson

Emerson EMR, headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri (USA), is a global technology and engineering company providing innovative solutions for customers in industrial, commercial, and residential markets. Our Emerson Automation Solutions business helps process, hybrid, and discrete manufacturers maximize production, protect personnel and the environment while optimizing their energy and operating costs. Our Emerson Commercial & Residential Solutions business helps ensure human comfort and health, protect food quality and safety, advance energy efficiency, and create sustainable infrastructure. For more information visit Emerson.com.

About the Texas A&M University College of Engineering

With more than 600 tenured/tenure-track faculty members and more than 19,000 students, the Texas A&M University College of Engineering is the second-largest engineering school in the country. The college is ranked seventh in both graduate studies and undergraduate programs, and third in research expenditure among public institutions by U.S. News & World Report, with eight of the college's 14 departments ranked in the Top 10.

About Texas A&M University

Texas A&M has more than 62,000 students and is one of the top universities in enrollment of new National Merit Scholars. Texas A&M conducts research valued at more than $866 million annually, placing it among the top 20 universities nationally and consistently ranking in the top tier of research institutions by the National Science Foundation. With an endowment valued at more than $5 billion, the university ranks fourth among U.S. public universities. Texas A&M is a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities and is home to one of the largest chapters of Phi Beta Kappa.

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