LEMONT FURNACE, Pa. — The Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence has selected a curriculum development project led by Rasoul Milasi, associate professor of electrical engineering at Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus, for Curriculum and Instructional Redesign Program (CIRP) grant support during the 2026-27 academic year.
The CIRP grant provides selected project leaders with funding, consultation from the Schreyer Institute and other faculty consultants. Participation in the CIRP community brings project leaders together to share their processes, successes and challenges while supporting curriculum and instructional improvement across Penn State.
Milasi’s project, “Transforming EMET into a Modern Mechatronics Curriculum Pathway at Penn State Beaver,” will examine opportunities to update the electro-mechanical engineering technology (EMET) program as it transitions to Penn State Beaver.
Milasi will join the Beaver faculty as an associate professor of electrical engineering following the closure of Penn State Fayette at the end of the spring 2027 semester.
“The move of the electro-mechanical engineering technology program to Penn State Beaver gives us a great opportunity to take a fresh look at the curriculum,” Milasi said. “My goal is to explore how we can develop a modern mechatronics pathway that better reflects advances in areas such as automation, robotics, artificial intelligence, smart manufacturing, embedded systems and integrated electromechanical systems.”
Through the project, Milasi will review the existing EMET curriculum and comparable academic programs while gathering feedback from faculty, advisers, academic leaders, industry partners and other stakeholders.
For Milasi, the project also presents an opportunity to consider how the program can continue evolving alongside the industries its graduates may enter.
“What excites me most is the potential benefit for our students,” Milasi said. “A clearer pathway can make it easier for them to plan their education and progress toward their degrees. A more modern curriculum can also give them additional opportunities for hands-on, project-based and laboratory learning while preparing them for the rapidly changing needs of industry.”