Building the QL+ Laboratory
Dr. G. Thomas (Tom) Mase
Mechanical Engineering professor, Director of the QL+ Laboratory
California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) College of Engineering, San Luis Obispo, California
October 2009
“Student interest in working on QL+ projects exceeds our capabilities to accommodate them.”
It’s not often that one gets the chance to build a whole new program from the ground up.
Yet that’s exactly the opportunity that Dr. Tom Mase, mechanical engineering professor at the College Engineering at Cal Poly, was fortunate enough to be involved with.
Dr. Mase is one of a handful of people who have been involved with the QL+ Laboratory at Cal Poly from the outset. His initiation dates back to shortly after the not-for-profit’s establishment, to when QL+ Founder and Chairman, Jon Monett, asked him to serve on a faculty advisory committee to guide the integration of the new practical engineering program into the school’s curriculum.
Today, Dr. Mase is one of a number of QL+ Faculty Advisors, responsible for guiding teams of engineering students as they work on multidisciplinary engineering projects in the cutting-edge QL+ Lab at Cal Poly. “Working through our senior project courses, I put together a student team and act as a mentor to the students,” Dr. Mase described his role as a QL+ Faculty Advisor. “The QL+ Lab is a fantastic workspace for students to complete their QL+ projects.”
Dr. Mase said that students understand that they are helping those who are serving or have served our country. “In the QL+ Lab, there is a great appreciation for the opportunity to work on projects that help this country’s heroes,” he explained. “They love it, and have also not lost sight of the fact that Jon has given back [to Cal Poly]. We even have students offering to continue working on projects for no pay. They truly have ‘got it’.”
Since the QL+ Lab was launched at Cal Poly in 2009, students have jumped at the opportunity to work on QL+ Challenges. However, with limited funding available, “Student interest in working on QL+ projects far exceeds our capabilities to accommodate them,” Dr. Mase explained.
Professor Mase believes the QL+ Lab will soon be one of the defining elements of Cal Poly’s College of Engineering. “Jon and QL+ have made multidisciplinary projects accessible to our students. In turn, I hope Cal Poly will be known for making a positive difference for those who have served us.”
Thanks to Professor Mase’s hard work and dedication, QL+ is well on its way to achieving this goal.