No less than three of the coveted scholarships for research stays at US elite universities go to mechatronics students at MCI
This year again, MCI students were successful in winning the coveted Marshall Plan scholarships. Once again, three students from the Mechatronics Department were selected for the scholarship, both for their excellent study results and for their impressive and ambitious research projects for their theses. For the first time, the scholarship holders also include bachelor students, which speaks particularly for the quality of the applications. With the help of their Marshall Plan Scholarship, MCI students will soon begin their study visits to American elite universities.
Stefan Kohlgruber is going to the renowned Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and will work there in the Laboratory for Computer Aided Sensor Technology and Robotics on his master's thesis on FPGA-based control of the Da Vinci Research Kit, a research platform on telerobotics in medicine.
Franz Bachler will write his bachelor's thesis on operant conditioning of the thigh muscles in healthy individuals and is planning a study visit to the Mechatronics Department of the University of Texas in Austin.
Nico Hoffmann-Kuhnt's bachelor thesis will deal with biologically inspired soft robots using smart materials. His study visit will take him to the prestigious Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida.
The Marshall Plan Foundation supports the scientific exchange of students in Austria and in the USA in technical fields of study. Since 2009, MCI students have regularly been awarded the coveted Marshall Plan Scholarship. Andreas Mehrle, head of the Mechatronics Department at MCI, sees this program as a win-win situation for students and MCI: "This form of study cooperation is a unique opportunity for our students to network and work with experienced scientists. The MCI also benefits from the joint research performance".
The MCI has been working together with Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, which is considered one of the best universities in the world in the field of aerospace, for many years. Joint projects with the mechatronics institutes of Johns Hopkins and the University of Texas are planned for the future.
