Dr. James A. Mynderse of the Lawrence Technological University College of Engineering invites you to be a part of “Mechatronics and Robotics Engineering: Implications of Usage in Technology and Pop Culture”. The terms “Mechatronics Engineering” and “Robotics Engineering” refer to subdisciplines within engineering. Both terms appear in technical publications as well as pop culture. This survey is part of a project to understand how the usage of these terms affects stakeholder perception of the engineering subdisciplines. We are asking you to participate because you represent a stakeholder category: industry professional, faculty, student, prospective student, or parent/guardian of a prospective student.

If you agree to be part of the research study, you will be provided with a survey that asks you to describe your understanding of the terms and associated skills. We expect this survey to take less than 15 minutes to complete.

While you may not receive any direct benefit for participating, we hope that a better understanding of the value perception will assist in recruiting students to Mechatronics and Robotics Engineering, a necessary field for the advancement of smart technologies such as connected and automated vehicles and robotic manufacturing. Regarding compensation, please note that you will not be provided with any monetary compensation for participating in this study.

Researchers will not be able to link your survey responses to you, but they will know that you participated in the research if you decide to consent to participate. We plan to publish the results of this study, but will not include any information that would identify you.

Participating in this study is completely voluntary. Even if you decide to participate now, you may change your mind and stop at any time. You may choose to not answer an individual question or you may skip any section of the survey/interview.

If you have questions about this research study, you can contact Dr. James A. Mynderse, at jmynderse@ltu.edu.
If you have questions about your rights as a research participant, please contact the Lawrence Technological University Institutional Review Board, 21000 West Ten Mile Road, Southfield, MI 48075, (248) 204-3541, irb@ltu.edu.