Wichita State University dedicated ground Friday, Oct. 30, for its Experiential Engineering Building now under construction on WSU's Innovation Campus, formerly the site of Braeburn Golf Course.
The 142,661-square-foot facility is rising just east of the National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR).
Construction will be completed at the end of 2016, with full academic use of its numerous learning laboratories beginning in spring 2017. A new building housing the Airbus North American Engineering Center is rising nearby.
A College of Engineering faculty and staff task force designed the Experiential Engineering and Makerspace Building laboratories to channel students, faculty and industry professionals into the same space at the same time to accelerate collisions between student creativity, faculty know-how and regional needs.
“It is part of our bold initiative to equip students not only with advanced engineering skills, but also a creative confidence and an entrepreneurial mindset,” said Royce Bowden, dean of the College of Engineering.
The facility will set a new benchmark for engineering education, said Tony Vizzini, WSU provost and senior vice president.
“College of Engineering graduates will rapidly advance economic and technological prosperity, health and well-being in the region and beyond,” Vizzini said.
Extending the boundaries of manufacturing technology
A city of Wichita-Sedgwick County mill levy and funds from the state of Kansas to support engineering education are principally funding the Experiential Engineering Building.
A portion of $10 million in grants from the U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration will help fund infrastructure, equipment and staff for the building to provide additional applied learning experiences for students and the community.
The building will also include a 3DExperience Center, which will focus on enabling advanced product development and manufacturing of next generation manufacturing materials and technologies. The center is a partnership with Dassualt Systemes, which expects to employ students and up to eight staff.
“The 3DExperience Center will extend the boundaries of manufacturing technologies available to industry,” said John Tomblin, WSU vice president for research and technology transfer.
Koch Industries and the Fred and Mary Koch Foundation pledged a $3.75 million gift to the Wichita State University Foundation to support the makerspace. Private donors are providing additional financial support to further equip the building’s laboratories through naming opportunities.
Interested individuals may contact Kim Bair with the WSU Foundation at kim.bair@wichita.edu or 316-978-3839.