A generous $250,000 donation by the Arvin Gift Fund—matched by a substantial $150,000 gift from the Community Education Coalition—will enable Indiana University-Purdue University Columbus (IUPUC) to build a high-tech new simulation and engineering lab for its students.
The combined gift will be used to establish the Arvin Computational Analysis Simulation & Engineering Lab. The new facility will reside in the campus’s Advanced Manufacturing Center of Excellence, which opened last June.
The Arvin Gift Fund is a donor-advised fund within the Heritage Fund-the Community Foundation of Bartholomew County. Dr. Thomas A. Clerkin, a former ArvinMeritor executive and fund advisor of the Arvin Gift Fund, said the initiative is important because it supports the continued growth and educational attainment of students in engineering and other high-tech fields.
“The project is an excellent fit for the Arvin Gift Fund because it addresses both educational and economic development needs,” added Clerkin, an associate professor of management in the Division of Business at IUPUC.
“Our intent is for this applied research facility to serve as a focal point for innovation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education throughout our service area,” said IUPUC’s Vice Chancellor and Dean Marwan Wafa.
According to Wafa, the funds will be used to purchase computational engineering software, renovate an existing computer lab, and hire additional faculty and staff. Once established, the space will facilitate expanded collaboration and cooperation between the university, its students, and local industry.
The first phase will include $60,000 to build a student-centered lab, work that will include renovating existing space and adding new hardwiring, furniture, and other equipment. State-of-the-art hardware and software will then be ordered, installed, and tested. In total, the work is expected to take about one year.
The software, estimated at $70,000,will enable students to study, explore, and design detailed mathematical models, systems and controls, thermal-structural-fluids, material models, and biochemistry-reacting flows. High-end computer workstations with visualization capability are expected to cost another $70,000.
About $30,000 will be used to support two part-time engineering student lab workers and training for two faculty members and up to five current engineering students on the advanced design software.
The remainder of the funds will be used to support visiting professors or research associates with PhDs in areas such as computational engineering, system dynamics and controls, reacting flows, and polymers.
New faculty and staff hires will be on a part-time basis to start, Wafa explained. “These individuals will help us develop appropriate lab courses and establish joint research projects with advanced manufacturing firms throughout the area.”
Developing opportunities for students to engage in real-world engineering and design projects is a critical component of the learning experience IUPUC wants to provide for students as part of their senior-year capstone design projects.
Wafa also anticipates opportunities for joint projects with Indiana University’s newly created Center for Art and Design in Columbus, which opened in November.
John Burnett, president and CEO of the Community Education Coalition (CEC), said the project is another good example of the public-private partnerships and collaboration for which Columbus is known.
“When complete, this lab will greatly expand the engineering and technology resources available in Columbus and throughout the region,” Burnett added. “It blends corporate resources with educational resources in a way that will benefit the public for years to come, so we are delighted to support the effort.”
For more information on IUPUC's mechanical engineering program visit www.iupuc.edu/mechanicalengineering, or call 812.348.7390.