Rate My Professor Peter Schuster

Peter Schuster is a Professor in the Mechanical Engineering Department at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. He holds a B.A. in Physics from Cornell University, an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University, and a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Michigan Technological University. Before entering academia, Schuster worked for ten years in industry at Ford Motor Company. He joined Cal Poly in 2003 and has since contributed significantly to the department's educational programs. His research interests encompass design, structural systems, stress analysis, biomechanics, and impact. As the senior project organizer for the Mechanical Engineering Department over the past eight years, he identifies projects, establishes connections with industry partners and student clubs, organizes kickoff events, and facilitates team formation. In this role, he has supported innovative student projects, including collaborations with the Girl Scouts of California’s Central Coast to develop devices such as a weed robot, rapid composter, robotic Girl Scout for the cookie program, robotic monarch butterfly, and interactive steppingstones.

In recognition of his community engagement and volunteer efforts, Schuster received the Man Enough to be a Girl Scout Award in 2023, one of only four such honors given to over 4,000 volunteers that year. His scholarly contributions focus on engineering education and design pedagogy. Key publications include 'Senior Capstone Team Formation Based on Project Interest: Team Selection by Students Compared to Team Selection by Instructors' (2020, co-authored with Lauren Anne Cooper, Eltahry Elghandour, Eileen W. Rossman, Sarah Harding, and Brian P. Self), 'A Hybrid Approach to Team-forming for Capstone Design Projects' (2020, co-authored with Brian P. Self, Eltahry Elghandour, and Lauren Anne Cooper), 'All Active All the Time? What are the Implications of Teaching a Traditional Content-Rich Machine Components/Mechanical Systems Design Course Using Active Learning?' (2016, co-authored with James M. Widdmann), 'Development and Implementation of a Long-Term Freshmen Service Project: The Design and Deployment of an Engineering Outreach Experience for Underserved Populations' (2015, co-authored with James M. Widdmann and Brian P. Self), 'An Industry-University Partnership Case Study' (2011), and 'A Simple Lab Project Integrating Theoretical, Numerical, and Experimental Stress Analysis' (2011). These works address capstone design processes, active learning methodologies, service learning initiatives, industry-academia collaborations, and practical stress analysis education.