DoD and MIT Release New Online Advanced Manufacturing Technologies Education Platform
OFFICE OF THE UNDER SECRETARY OF DEFENSE FOR RESEARCH AND ENGINEERING
The Department of Defense (DoD) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have launched a new online Open edX platform for advanced manufacturing technologies education at www.manufacturingworkforce.org. The Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD(R&E)) developed the site in partnership with MIT’s Initiative for Knowledge and Innovation in Manufacturing (IKIM). The site uses Open edX technology to bring accessible, digital learning to advanced manufacturing engineering students, professionals, and technicians.
The site currently features two on-demand, self-paced photonics courses that MIT developed in partnership with AIM Photonics, a DoD Manufacturing Innovation Institute (MII) that receives funding and support from OUSD(R&E). AIM and IKIM expect to add five additional integrated photonics courses to the site in Summer 2021. Each course features top instructors, including MIT professors; Naval Research Laboratory scientists; and private sector engineers.
“The platform is a tangible example of the Department’s commitment to educating the next generation of U.S. science and technology leaders,” said Ms. Barbara McQuiston, performing the duties of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research & Engineering. “I am extremely grateful that DoD is partnering with MIT for this venture. Our MIT colleagues understand the value of public-private partnerships to foster technological talent and to ensure the continued dominance of the U.S. research and engineering enterprise.”