Interdisciplinary Center for Engineering Design and Teaching

Since 1999 the College of Engineering and Applied Science has been trying to find a way to "create" a modern space for teaching engineering design. The Interdisciplinary Center for Engineering Design and Teaching (ICED-T) would have as its central component a studio classroom equipped with the right technology to teach in a team environment. Engineering projects when performed in industry require engineers from various engineering disciplines to work together, and the goal of the ICED-T is to initiate our students to this type of teaming before they graduate. Ideally, the project teams would also include students from other colleges such as Business, Arts and Sciences, Agriculture, and others, to simulate team problem solving used in industry.

Center Details

A team of engineering faculty is now studying the options in creating the ICED-T, but the following represent the current view of potential requirements for the center:

• A studio classroom equipped with the right technology to teach in a team environment with six teams of five students or seven teams of 4 students
• Six adjacent project rooms to accommodate a single team of five students plus instructor and appropriate technology
• Adjacent laboratories of 400 to 750 square feet (a total of approximately 2600 square feet)

  Fabrication and prototyping

  Design analysis (computer workstations)

  Programmable logic design and development

  Product assembly and evaluation

• A design review room (regular classroom format) to seat 30
• Office space for Director, technical support, and faculty (4 offices)

The space should have maximum flexibility recognizing that educational needs change over time. This implies easily movable walls, flexible/movable power rails and wireless networking. Proximity to our College shops is desirable (collocation is optimal, but requires a new facility).

Development Funding Requirements

The very preliminary and high level estimated costs to remodel existing space to create the Interdisciplinary Center for Engineering Design and Teaching, including equipment and furniture, is $1,000,000. Ongoing maintenance of the Center is estimated at $100,000 per year. A half time Director and staff support requires $125,000 per year. A one-time facilities gift of $500K (matched by state facilities matching funds to become $1M) with an endowment of $4.5M (yields approximately $225,000 per year) would provide for the Center. With the continuation of the state endowment matching funds, the development goal is to raise $2.25M in private funds for the endowment portion of the ICED-T and achieve the $4.5M total through the match.

Contacts

Ovid A. Plumb, Dean, College of Engineering and Applied Science, gplumb@uwyo.edu

Sherrie Merrow, Director of Development and Communications, smerrow@uwyo.edu