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Session Description

Ticketed event: $50.00
This session has two segments. The workshop doesn’t require prior knowledge of MATLAB or Arduino programming, but some knowledge of these technologies will benefit anyone taking the workshop. Participants should bring their own laptops.
The first segment will be presented by MathWorks personnel and show participants the basics of how to take advantage of MATLAB’s functions when teaching Control Theory and related topics. Participants will get hands-on experience in building and running simulations on their laptops. All code examples and other materials will be provided. Participants will be guided through a subset of the controls related materials available in MATLAB.
The second segment will focus on interfacing MATLAB with hardware, in particular, using the Arduino interface to sense and control various devices. A standard Arduino kit (such as the ELEGOO UNO Project Super Starter Kit) will be provided to participants. Participants will be allowed to take the kit home with them.
The experiments will culminate in an actual control experiment. Activities will consist of some basic experiments with a particular input or output device, followed by a challenge (self-discovery) activity.
Finally, a simple control device will be introduced, and participants will be challenged to control it with the knowledge they have mastered. Hands-on simulation of typical control systems will be included.

The first segment will cover MATLAB control functions:
• MATLAB Basics
• Dynamics Systems
• State Space
• Laplace Transfer Function
• Building simulations
• Where to get help

The second segment will involve working in pairs or triplets:
• Sensing devices
• Controlling devices
• Controlling a system through an Arduino with MATLAB
• How to do this with Simulink (time permitting).
• How to find help

Speakers

1. Gen Sasaki

   MathWorks

   Gen Sasaki is a Customer Success Engineer at the MathWorks, working to make sure university educators and students get the most out of MATLAB. He holds a BSME and MSME with a focus on control systems. He worked mostly in automotive applications for nearly 30 years, in powertrain and various embedded controls.

2. Dr. Stephen Andrew Wilkerson P.E.

   York College of Pennsylvania

   Stephen Wilkerson swilkerson@ycp.edu received his PhD from Johns Hopkins University in 1990 in Mechanical Engineering. He retired from the Army Research Laboratory (ARL) Aberdeen Proving Grounds after 33 years of service. During the last 15 years of Stephen Wilkerson’s work for the U.S. Army; his focus was on unmanned systems mainly drones and small robots. During his career with ARL he has been an instructor at the United States Military Academy West Point for three years and the exchange scientist to Germany. He is currently an Associate Professor at York College of PA. His current research interests include unmanned systems, drones, control theory, and astrophotography.

3. Dr. Scott F. Kiefer

   York College of Pennsylvania

   Scott Kiefer has spent the past twenty-two years teaching mechanical engineering at four different colleges. He started at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez in the traditional role of teaching and administering a modest graduate research program. At Trine University, a small private school in Angola, Indiana, he focused on undergraduate education while teaching ten different courses ranging from introductory freshman courses to senior capstone. Scott also served as an advisor to many different undergraduate research projects. He then moved on to Michigan State University and took a position as a teaching specialist concentrating on undergraduate classroom instruction. Scott finally settled at York College of Pennsylvania. He has been at York College for over ten years and feels as if he has found a place where the focus on teaching and students aligns well with his background and interests.

4. Dr. Stephen Andrew Gadsden

   McMaster University

   Dr. S. Andrew Gadsden is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at McMaster University and is Director of the Intelligent and Cognitive Engineering (ICE) Laboratory. His research area includes control and estimation theory, artificial intelligence and machine learning, and cognitive systems. Dr. Gadsden completed his bachelor’s in mechanical engineering and Management (Business) and then earned his PhD in Mechanical Engineering at McMaster in the area of estimation theory with applications to mechatronics and aerospace systems. He worked as a postdoctoral researcher for nearly three years at the Centre for Mechatronics and Hybrid Technology (Hamilton, Ontario). He also worked concurrently as a Project Manager in the pharmaceutical industry (Apotex Inc., Toronto, Ontario). Before joining McMaster University, Dr. Gadsden was an Associate/Assistant Professor at the University of Guelph and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (USA). Dr. Gadsden is an elected Fellow of ASME, is a Senior Member of IEEE, and is a Professional Engineer of Ontario. Dr. He was also awarded the 2019 University of Guelph Faculty Association (UGFA) Distinguished Professor Award for Excellence in Teaching in the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences based on his teaching effectiveness and pedagogy.