TechTonic Tuesday – Mechatronics with Mike Halbern

This months TechTonic Tuesday will see us shift towards a different format better equipped for contemporary life. Join us for a live streamed conversation with Sierra College Mechatronics professor Mike Halbern, ask questions on social media in real time or watch afterwards at your own leisure.

Thinking about a new career? July’s TechTonic will explore a growing field that you can train for right here in Nevada County – mechatronics. Industrial automation may be eliminating many jobs that were previously done manually, but there is a huge demand for people who know how to program and maintain automation equipment. The Mechatronics program at Sierra College is one of a handful of programs in the United States that teaches students how to maintain and repair systems that combine electronics, mechanics and computer controls. ATMs, copy machines, elevators, medical diagnostic equipment, automated package handling, ski lifts, waste and water treatment facilities, industrial robots and large-scale food and beverage manufacturing all rely on mechatronics. Graduates of this program are in such high demand that over a dozen employers come to the department career fair each semester to compete for its graduates. Michael Halbern, who will speak about mechatronics at the July 21^st TechTonic is Professor of Mechatronics at Sierra College, where he has taught since 1981.  His primary focus has been on student project design and development, linear circuits, microcontrollers, and mechatronics.  He has also designed electronics projects for use in local middle schools and high schools.  In 1997 he was President of the California Council of Electronics Instructors.  In 2006, he received the NISOD Award for Excellence in Teaching.