Kent State University 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 “Science Springs Forward,” took place Wednesday, April 23, on the Science Mall in front of Henderson Hall and the construction site of the new building.
“Science Springs Forward” was free and open to faculty, staff, students, alumni and community members. Guests enjoyed food, music and informational displays.
Justin Hilton, Kent State’s senior associate vice president for university relations, said the event highlighted the progress of the building’s construction, as well as how the College of Applied Engineering, Sustainability and Technology building fits within a larger campus and university initiative.
“This new building is a part of Kent State’s Foundations of Excellence initiative that incorporates all the improvements on the Kent Campus and Regional Campuses,” Hilton said. “It shows the renovations of old buildings, the construction of new buildings and the addition of sustainability elements to Kent State.”
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.
“The tent highlighted the new, exciting technologies these colleges are using,” Hilton said. “The nursing school had a simulator for medical, interactive education on display.”
Robert G. Sines Jr., interim dean of Kent State’s College of Applied Engineering, Sustainability and Technology, said the advancement in technology led to the move from the college’s old home in Van Deusen Hall to the Science Mall.
“A fuel cell expert was just hired that will be doing top-notch research,” Sines said. “This 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.”
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 – Rockwell Automation Advanced Mechatronics Lab – possible.
An I-beam signed by Kent State President Lester A. Lefton, Kent State cabinet members, students, faculty and staff – that will be installed into the new building – 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 https://www.kent.edu/foundations/completed-projects.