Kent State University hosted a grand opening for the Aeronautics and Technology Building on Friday, April 24.
The event celebrated the opening of the 55,000-square-foot building and the move of the College of Applied Engineering, Sustainability and Technology from Van Deusen Hall to the Science Corridor. The new building joins other colleges and buildings, such as Henderson Hall, the Mathematics and Computer Science Building and the Liquid Crystal Materials Science Building. Construction on the building began in summer 2013.
Kent State President Beverly Warren; Robert Sines, interim dean of the College of Applied Engineering, Sustainability and Technology; and Dennis Eckart, Kent State University Board of Trustees chair, made brief remarks. There were student-led tours of the new space with demonstrations occurring in specific labs. Attendees could tour the Air Traffic Control Lab, Sustainability Lab, Aeronautics Teaching Lab and the Materials and Processes Lab.
Sines says the move was necessary for the college.
“I think the students are getting a much better educational experience in the new building because of the new facilities, new equipment and new surroundings,” Sines said.
The new building is a part of Kent State’s Foundations of Excellence: Building the Future initiative, which involves the construction of new buildings, facility upgrades and establishment of dynamic and new spaces. The goal of this initiative is to create the most outstanding academic experience for students, faculty, staff, alumni and the greater community enriched by the university.
For more information about the College of Applied Engineering, Sustainability and Technology, visit www.kent.edu/caest.
For more information about Kent State’s Foundations of Excellence initiative, visit www.kent.edu/foundations.