The Affiliation for Advancing Automation (A3), a number one international suggest for robotics and automation applied sciences, has named Jim Devaprasad of Lake Awesome State College (LSSU) the recipient of the 2026 A3 Educator of the Yr Award, subsidized via Siemens. Devaprasad used to be decided on for his many years of management in robotics and automation training, his deep trade engagement and his good fortune making ready scholars to thrive in real-world automation careers. He and his scholars might be a part of Automate 2026 in Chicago, the place LSSU will show off within the Training Pavilion.
A professor in LSSU’s College of Engineering and Generation, Devaprasad has spent 40 years serving to form the following technology of automation execs. He serves as director of the college’s Middle for Complicated Robotics Engineering and has helped safe greater than $3 million in robotics and automation apparatus for the middle, along side greater than $2 million in grants for engineering methods. He additionally helped advance LSSU’s pioneering robotics methods, together with the primary nationally ABET-accredited bachelor’s level in robotics engineering generation in the USA. His scholars acquire hands-on revel in in spaces reminiscent of PLCs, robotics programming and simulation, gadget imaginative and prescient, robotic protection, collaborative robotics, cellular robotics and methods integration, with many graduates happening to management roles around the automation trade.
“To me, A3’s Educator of the Yr is a deeply significant popularity as it comes from the group that represents the very trade our scholars are making ready to serve,” stated Devaprasad. “What I’ve at all times cherished about instructing is bringing foundational concepts to lifestyles thru hands-on revel in, then staring at scholars take the ones abilities into the sector. I’m so happy with our alumni and the affect they’ve made over time. As robotics and automation keep growing throughout just about each a part of trade, the position of training in making ready the longer term automation leaders hasn’t ever been extra vital, and I’m commemorated to be part of it.”
Because the 2026 A3 Educator of the Yr, Devaprasad and Lake Awesome State College will obtain a money prize from the Siemens Cooperates with Training program (SCE), along side a {hardware} and device generation package deal to additional increase hands-on studying alternatives for college kids. Siemens will even award Devaprasad and the highest 5 nominated educators with a generation package deal of Siemens device valued at greater than $250,000 every to reinforce automation training and group of workers construction in the USA.
“Siemens is proud to reinforce the 2026 Educator of the Yr Awards, celebrating the determination, innovation and experience of outstanding educators national,” stated Amanda Beaton, US program supervisor, SCE. “This can be a privilege to paintings with inspiring academics and nominees who proceed to turn out to be STEM training. Their real-world trade revel in, hands-on and career-relevant instructing approaches, and fervour for studying mirror what it takes to organize these days’s scholars to turn into assured, work-ready participants within the fashionable group of workers.”
Devaprasad’s popularity comes as A3 expands its center of attention on scholars, educators and rising execs at Automate 2026, North The united states’s biggest automation tournament, happening June 22-25 in Chicago. The Automate Training Pavilion, introduced via A3 NextGen, is devoted to the universities, coaching methods and trade leaders serving to construct the next day’s group of workers. New this 12 months, the A3 NextGen Theater will function periods on curriculum, profession pathways, hiring and skill construction for college kids, educators and employers. Devaprasad and his magnificence will show off in sales space #33051 within the Training Pavilion, providing attendees a firsthand have a look at the type of hands-on robotics and automation stories that experience turn into an indicator of LSSU’s program. For more info on LSSU’s Robotics Engineering program, consult with: www.lssu.edu/robotics.
