Ā鶹¾«Ń” faculty, staff and students will notice a new building on the Kent Campus this fall when the university welcomes the College of Applied Engineering, Sustainability and Technology to the Science Mall. A midpoint construction event, themed āScience Springs Forward,ā took place Wednesday, April 23, on the Science Mall in front of Henderson Hall and the construction site of the new building.
āScience Springs Forwardā was free and open to faculty, staff, students, alumni and community members. Guests enjoyed food, music and informational displays.
Justin Hilton, Kent Stateās senior associate vice president for university relations, said the event highlighted the progress of the buildingās construction, as well as how the College of Applied Engineering, Sustainability and Technology building fits within a larger campus and university initiative.
āThis new building is a part of Kent Stateās Foundations of Excellence initiative that incorporates all the improvements on the Kent Campus and Regional Campuses,ā Hilton said. āIt shows the renovations of old buildings, the construction of new buildings and the addition of sustainability elements to Kent State.ā
There was a tent for guests to walk through that displayed each college on the Science Mall, including the College of Nursing, the College of Arts and Sciences, and the College of Applied Engineering, Sustainability and Technology.
āThe tent highlighted the new, exciting technologies these colleges are using,ā Hilton said. āThe nursing school had a simulator for medical, interactive education on display.ā
Robert G. Sines Jr., interim dean of Kent Stateās College of Applied Engineering, Sustainability and Technology, said the advancement in technology led to the move from the collegeās old home in Van Deusen Hall to the Science Mall.
āA fuel cell expert was just hired that will be doing top-notch research,ā Sines said. āThis will give our students an opportunity to work with him in a new facility. We will be able to provide our students with new equipment and labs and better educational experiences.ā
The event included a short presentation by Sines and Rachel Heidenreich, vice president of quality and continuous improvement for Rockwell Automation. The company contributed a significant in-kind donation of equipment and time spent engineering to make the new College of Applied Engineering, Sustainability and Technology lab ā Rockwell Automation Advanced Mechatronics Lab ā possible.
An I-beam signed by Ā鶹¾«Ń”President Lester A. Lefton, Ā鶹¾«Ń”cabinet members, students, faculty and staff ā that will be installed into the new building ā also was on display.
For more information about the Foundations of Excellence initiative and the construction of the new College of Applied Engineering, Sustainability and Technology building, visit /foundations/completed-projects.