By Cameron Reichenbach / The Jambar
The Youngstown State University Mechanical Engineering Technology program was awarded a three-year certification from the Foundry Education Foundation. The certification recognizes programs that meet FEF’s standards for quality foundry education, strong industry engagement and student-focused training.
For the MET program, the certification strengthens its needs to provide students with hands-on skills to use in the real world. Brian Vuksanovich, FEF key professor, said the certification supports the university’s goal of expanding opportunities for students through recognized credentials.
“We decided to go and get certified because we were getting a lot of our other classes certified, so our students would have industry certifications in addition to their regular degree,” Vuksanovich said.
Beginning this fall, the MET program will offer a new six-course metalcasting certificate aligned with FEF. The certificate includes 3D modeling, geometric dimensioning and tolerancing, manual machining, computer numerical control machining and robotics and casting. The skills directly reflect how modern engineering problems are solved in the industry.
The certificate was made specifically to welcome students from all majors, not just those in engineering technology.
“We’ve taken out the prerequisites that kind of require you to be a mechanical engineering [technology] student,” Vuksanovich said. “We can take students from anybody. They could come in and take the classes.”
Vuksanovich credits the achievement to the combined efforts of faculty, students and industry partners.
“This has been a long-term investment by a lot of people who believe in what we are building here. It’s not just about recognition, it’s about preparing our students for high-demand, high-skill careers,” Vuksanovich said.
Outside of academics, the program gives students hands-on experience through the university’s foundry area housed in the Excellence Training Center. Students work with industrial robots, automated pouring systems and real simulation software used by manufacturers, giving them industry-level experience before they graduate.
The MET program is also known for the YSU chapter of the American Foundry Society, which regularly competes in national competitions. In recent years, YSU students have placed highly in events such as Steel Founders’ Cast in Steel Competition, where teams design, cast and test functional tools or weapons.
These competitions give students the opportunity to apply what they learn in class to real-life challenges, often leading to internships and jobs.