Cardinal Health Lends a Helping Hand to Engineering Students

Stonehill College’s Engineering Program is currently collaborating with Cardinal Health, a global manufacturer and distributor of medical and laboratory products, on an initiative involving automation technology. The College has been given access to two robotic arms, currently housed in Stonehill’s Maker Space Lab. The equipment is being used to support student projects advised by Professor of Engineering Hassan Bajwa, Assistant Professor of Computer Science Sam Goree, and Associate Professor of Engineering Shahrokh Sani.

“My colleagues and I are truly grateful to Cardinal Health for agreeing to work with us,” Bajwa said. “By allowing our students to use these unique teaching tools, they’ve made a truly meaningful investment in their educational experiences.” 

To help enhance efficiencies and work experiences for operations employees, Cardinal Health implemented robotic technology (robotic arms specifically) into their manufacturing processes. The robotic arms donated to Stonehill are similar to those being used in manufacturing and allow students to develop operating and visual systems that help enable automation.   

As part of a capstone course, three students are currently designing a system that can be used to control the robots to pick up bottles and place them on a conveyor belt.

 “We don’t just want to teach students how to use the robots but educate them on how they’re designed,” Bajwa said. “So, even though the robots came with controllers, we’re having the students design their own.” 

Eventually, the students will integrate image recognition capabilities that will enable the robots to differentiate between bottles containing different materials.  

Nathanael Stahl ’25, one of the students working on this project, has enjoyed using this equipment.  

“It’s offered me a lot of hands-on experience in terms of integrating different technologies and using them to solve problems,” he said. “Plus, working with a product owner like Cardinal Health and meeting their vision has been very valuable.” 

Arthur Leach ’90, senior vice president of global manufacturing for Cardinal Health and Stonehill Engineering Industry Advisory Board member, has been instrumental in facilitating this initiative. He hopes that working with these tools serves as a “primer for what students will experience in industry when they graduate.”

“This collaboration will allow Stonehill students to gain the knowledge needed to solve real-world issues, learn the value of teamwork, hone their communication skills, discover how to identify an organization’s needs, and break down solution ideation and development into manageable programs,” he said. “It is my hope that these students can take what they’ve learned and perhaps join us here at Cardinal Health someday.” 

Cardinal Health is committed to cultivating the next generation of leaders by collaborating with organizations to promote education in science technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) within communities.  

Leach is also currently facilitating a partnership between Cardinal Health and the Meehan School of Business. As part of this collaboration, Associate Professor of Business Management Robert Spencer’s students are working on experiential learning opportunities in engineering, business and supply chain. 

Leach notes that his ongoing support of the College is motivated by the positive experiences he had while completing Stonehill’s 3+2 program with the University of Notre Dame. This initiative allows students to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in three years at Stonehill and then transition to the University of Notre Dame for two more years to earn a corresponding bachelor’s degree in engineering. 

“Lifelong learning is key to a long and fruitful career in business today, and Stonehill established a sound foundation for me to build on in that regard,” Leach said. “My time on campus also allowed me to become a better communicator, something that has been integral to my work facilitating the production and delivery of high quality, cost-effective consumer products. I’m grateful for the chance to pay forward all that I gained at Stonehill to the next generation.”