SUU STEM Professors Team Up with Regional Industry Leaders
Published: October 20, 2026 | Read Time: 3 minutes
CEDAR CITY, Utah — Professors from Southern Utah University's (SUU) Walter Maxwell Gibson College of STEM are bringing high-level, real-world industry experience directly into the classroom following recent immersion fellowships with key regional business partners. Through partnerships with MCM Engineering II, Align Precision, and Red Rock Data Science under the statewide Talent Ready Utah Higher Education Educator Fellowship Initiative, SUU faculty have embedded themselves within active technical environments to align modern course instruction with evolving statewide workforce demands.
The Talent Ready Utah Center works to bridge education and business, uniting higher education institutions with local employers to expand career opportunities for students and foster regional economic growth. During these immersive faculty fellowships, SUU educators observed daily operations, engaged directly with complex manufacturing and analytical processes, and identified critical skill sets sought by today's top employers.
"Our goal is to ensure that every student who walks through our doors receives an education that is immediately relevant, deeply practical, and directly connected to the workforce," said Dean of the Walter Maxwell Gibson College of STEM, Dr. Bill Heyborne. "By stepping directly into active industry settings, our professors are bringing back the exact practices, emerging technologies, and examples for the development of critical thinking skills that top employers expect. These partnerships give our graduates a tangible advantage as they begin their careers."
Through these hands-on opportunities, Lance Richman, a professor of mechanical engineering, collaborated with Align Precision to address how recent engineering graduates navigate precision manufacturing geometries, strict tolerances, and real-world cost trade-offs.
Electrical Engineering Program Director Dr. Isabella Borisova and Engineering Technology Program Director Dr. Richard Cozzens partnered with LS Electric Utah. Dr. Borisova focused on incorporating modern circuit design, power electronics, and industrial automation standards into upper-level engineering courses, while Dr. Cozzens documented LS Electric's bid-to-design-to-manufacturing lifecycle, analyzing how emerging artificial intelligence and virtual reality technologies are actively integrated into modern engineering workflows. Dr. Jacob Bishop also contributes to these curriculum design efforts across the strength of materials, manufacturing, and mechatronics.
Extending workforce preparation beyond traditional engineering, Dr. Marcos Corchado-Sonera from the biology department and Dr. Shankar Parajulee, director of the Master of Science in Business Analytics program, completed fellowships with Red Rock Data Science. Dr. Corchado-Sonera centered his work on applying clinical bioinformatics and data analytics to genetics studies. Dr. Parajulee focused on expanding cloud computing, machine learning, and applied business analytics, ensuring SUU students receive immediate, practical skills that match real-world market needs.
These joint initiatives reinforce SUU's expanding engineering offerings and its deep stackable credentials in artificial intelligence and machine learning. By bringing live industry insight back to campus, SUU faculty ensure that learning environments, including future spaces in the university's planned STEM facilities, remain tied to practical outcomes and regional career readiness.
Following their fellowship experiences, participating faculty shared key findings and peer-to-peer insights during roundtable discussions organized by the Center for Teaching Innovation and sponsored by SUU's Sponsored Programs, Agreements, Research, and Contracts (SPARC) office. These university-wide learning events ensure that lessons learned in the field continue to elevate teaching across every STEM program at Southern Utah University.
To learn more about SUU's Walter Maxwell Gibson College of STEM degree programs and workforce development initiatives, visit suu.edu/cstem.
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