Design. Build. Test. UM-Dearborn community gets first look at new Engineering Lab Building W HEN UM-DEARBORN UNVEILED PLANS FOR ITS NEW ENGINEERING LAB BUILDING (ELB) THE MESSAGE WAS TWOFOLD: THIS IS A RENEWAL OF THE UNIVERSITY’S MISSION OF ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE AND METROPOLITAN IMPACT—WITH A LOOK TOWARD THE FUTURE. Active learning classrooms provide a space for students to receive a 21st-century engineering education. Cutting-edge laboratories allow faculty and students to partner with industry, leveraging research to address today’s needs and create tomorrow’s technology. And spaces throughout the facility foster innovation and collaboration, both within the College of Engineering and Computer Science (CECS) and throughout campus. This fall, during the Engineering Our Future: Engineering Lab Building Preview, the UM- Dearborn community got their first real introduction to the $90 million project. A digital flythrough video showed the corridors, classrooms and labs of the future ELB, which will include: • 123,000 square feet—57,000 square feet of renovated space and a 66,000-square- foot addition • 40 teaching and research labs, including robotics, bioengineering and cybersecurity • High-tech collaborative classrooms • Silver LEED-certified building Before the preview event, CECS junior Aaron Cofield stood in line with the crowd in the Institute for Advanced Vehicle Systems atrium, hoping to get a seat. After seeing the design and features, the Intelligent Systems Club vice president said he was pleased with what he saw. He’ll earn his bachelor’s degree before construction is finished, but hopes to take advantage of the facility when he pursues a graduate degree. “When I come back to get my master’s degree, I’ll be really excited to use the lab space in the new ELB,” Cofield said. The university plans to break ground in spring 2018 and open the new ELB in fall 2020. CECS Dean Tony England said this ELB—equipped with new technology, modern research space and flexible learning and lab areas—will better prepare students for 21st-century issues, skills and careers. “It’s an environment where students and faculty can imagine that they can do anything. They’ll be able to design, build and test their ideas all right here,” England said, looking forward to the new facility, but also noting that the existing ELB—one of the original UM-Dearborn buildings—has been a home to some of the best engineering minds. “We will continue to have strong industry partnerships and research-focused faculty, but in a place that will allow their creativity to thrive. We are using new ideas, but we are also preserving the best of the past.” The ELB will provide additional opportunities for experiential 2 | Fall 2017 OnthePond what’s happening, what’s new and what’s what at UM-Dearborn