Joining me today in episode 40 is Dr Mark Whitty! Mark is a Senior Lecturer in the Mechatronics discipline within the School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering at the University of NSW. His expertise is in Digital viticulture, horticultural sensing, image processing, autonomous systems, 3D mapping, unmanned ground vehicles, robotics.  

We chat about:

•  What does a degree in mechatronics entail?  How long and how many subjects?  How many students do you have a year?  Male/female ratio?

•  What do mechatronics engineers do and where do they find employment?

• What is the intersection between industry and academia to ensure your students are as qualified as they can be?  How do you stay current?

•  What are the current challenges in agricultural robotics?

• When can farmers expect to see agricultural robots commercially available?

•  How quickly is demand for robotics engineers rising?

•  What role do robotics competitions have in promoting STEM education?

•   Do you have a mentor?  What’s your advice to students coming through regarding mentors?

•   Any closing thoughts?  Where can people contact you?

Contact Mark at m.whitty@unsw.edu.au