The University of Houston’s Cullen College of Engineering recently unveiled a cutting-edge laboratory donated by the Omron Foundation, the charitable arm of automation solutions provider Omron in the United States. Designed for electrical and computer engineering students, the lab includes advanced technologies and equipment donated by Omron.

At the lab’s opening ceremony, UH faculty and Omron representatives looked at a variety of senior capstone projects, including a sorting robot and a mobile robotic billboard. The lab contains an area dedicated to senior design projects, which provides real world design experience, which is helpful for gaining employment after graduation.

“Prospective employers will expect them to speak intelligently about what they worked on for their design project so the experience they gain at this stage is very important,” says Len Trombetta, the associate department chair. “This makes our graduates very marketable because these are skills companies want. We’re grateful to Omron for making this possible.”

Omron Automation Americas President, CEO and COO Robb Black described the importance of preparing today’s students for the latest challenges in engineering and manufacturing. “We want to bring the skills they have learned in school into the manufacturing sector,” says Black. “I think it’s a great way for students to learn real-world technology and apply it once they leave.”

Omron Foundation has been supporting the Cullen College’s electrical and computer engineering students since 2010, when it established the Omron Scholarship in electrical engineering and sponsored a team of students applying their engineering knowledge to real-world industry problems in the Capstone Design course. Omron also provides one-on-one mentoring to UH engineering students.

About University of Houston

The University of Houston is a Carnegie-designated Tier One public research university. UH serves the globally competitive Houston and Gulf Coast Region by providing world-class faculty, experiential learning, groundbreaking research and strategic industry partnerships.

Located in the nation's fourth-largest city and one of the most ethnically and culturally diverse regions in the country, UH is a federally designated Hispanic- and Asian-American-Serving institution with enrollment of more than 46,000 students.

About OMRON Foundation, Inc. 
Founded in 1989, OMRON Foundation, Inc. (OFI) coordinates the charitable efforts of OMRON offices in the US to achieve the greatest positive social impact. The Foundation is funded by OMRON's subsidiaries in the US, which contribute a portion of sales revenue to the Foundation. The Foundation divides its charitable resources among organizations benefiting education, people with disabilities, cultural programs, health, and other social concerns including disaster relief.

About OMRON 
OMRON Corporation is a global leader in the field of automation based on its core technology of "Sensing & Control + Think." Established in 1933, OMRON has about 36,000 employees worldwide, working to provide products and services in 117 countries. The company's business fields cover a broad spectrum, ranging from industrial automation and electronic components to automotive electronics, social infrastructure systems, healthcare, and environmental solutions. For more information, visit OMRON's website: http://www.omron.com.