Ferland Engineering Education and Design Center opens at UMaine to address student demand, employer needs – UMaine News

With the grand opening of the E. James and Eileen P. Ferland Engineering Training and Design and style Heart (Ferland EEDC) at the College of Maine, a new chapter begins in engineering schooling to improved fulfill the requirements of pupils and employers, which includes the innovation to progress research and economic development.

Upward of 500 people from all through the point out attended the grand opening ceremony for Ferland EEDC on Aug. 24. The late-morning application was followed by a ribbon-cutting and an open up household with students and college greeting friends on the a few flooring of the $78 million facility — the major task of its form in UMaine record, designed achievable with the guidance from additional than 500 donors and a $50 million financial commitment from the condition of Maine.

A recording of the celebration livestream is on the web.

Ferland EEDC is dwelling to the Section of Mechanical Engineering and the Biomedical Engineering System, and includes teaching laboratories for the Mechanical Engineering Technological innovation Software. 

The Student Challenge Layout Suite is the very best of its sort in the Northeast, with 44 workbenches that will be assigned to students and stores for biomedical engineering, electronics, 3D printing, motor vehicles, metals, wooden and composites. The building also residences the Campus Welcome and STEM Outreach Centre, which will be the starting position for campus excursions and 5 collaborative lecture rooms that will serve the overall campus.

The facility will have the capacity to raise engineering enrollment by a 3rd — 600 further learners a yr — to meet up with the desire of pupils and employers in the state.

Approval of $50 million in community financial investment over 10 yrs by the Maine Legislature and then-Gov. Paul LePage in 2017 assisted to catalyze the campaign. Considering the fact that then, a document $25 million in non-public assistance was lifted from additional than 500 alumni, pals, foundations and company donors for this capital precedence of UMaine’s $200 million Vision for Tomorrow in depth campaign, led by the College of Maine Foundation. 

In the decades considering the fact that, subsequent state Legislatures and Gov. Janet Mills have sustained this assistance and in May perhaps, appropriated supplemental personal debt provider that will help modernize other engineering and similar services at UMaine and throughout the College of Maine Process to progress a purpose to double the output of engineers and computing and info science gurus to meet up with the requires of Maine companies for earth-class expertise and innovation.

Development of the 115,000-square-foot facility started in May well 2020. A virtual groundbreaking was held in April 2020 a virtual topping off ceremony was held in February 2021.

WBRC Architects Engineers, based in Bangor, and Ellenzweig of Boston designed Ferland EEDC Consigli Building of Milford, Massachusetts and Portland, Maine led its design. 

Around the two yrs of the style and design and two decades of the design of Ferland EEDC, extra than 70 UMaine alumni are estimated to have labored on the venture.

“This state-of-the-art middle at our R1 college will allow for us to develop extra engineering and computing and information and facts science pros that Maine needs to expand its economic system and be aggressive in the environment,” claimed UMaine President Joan Ferrini-Mundy. “This facility is a tribute to the forward contemplating and leadership of three Legislatures and two Governors on behalf of the folks of Maine and stakeholders who know the benefit of a UMaine instruction and fingers-on exploration studying and the difference it would make in the results of its learners, alumni and the point out.”

This is an enjoyable, pivotal time for engineering education in — and for — Maine, claimed UMaine College or university of Engineering Dean Dana Humphrey. “The Ferland Engineering Education and learning and Structure Centre is a money expense in the potential of engineering schooling that will effects Maine and further than, built feasible by the vision and leadership of hundreds of donors and company partners who know the big difference that this facility will make in workforce and economic improvement. Coupled with the transformational expenditure in the Maine College of Engineering, Computing and Information and facts Science by the Harold Alfond Foundation, we are positioned to provide the significant industries, communities, and companies with the expert workers and innovation wanted to meet up with demand from customers and shift Maine ahead.”

The building’s $10 million naming present, the premier funds reward in UMaine background, arrived from Skowhegan natives E. James “Jim” Ferland ’64 and Eileen P. Ferland.

5 additional main naming presents to the project came from the Abbagadassett Basis Gustavus and Louise Pfeiffer Analysis Basis Harold Alfond Basis Packaging Corporation of The us and Pratt & Whitney. 

“We’d like to accept Dean Dana Humphrey’s management, as very well as the devoted structure and construction staff,” reported the Ferlands. “It’s an honor to have the Ferland Engineering Schooling and Layout Middle bear our spouse and children name. It’s what we anticipated — a put that will inspire and put together the up coming era of UMaine engineers.”

The Ferland’s gift in 2018 was an important catalyst for the center funding, claimed University of Maine Foundation President Jeff Mills.

“Their generosity and vision inspired some others which led us to the end line for completing this state-of-the-art heart,” Jeff Mills mentioned.

Get in touch with: Margaret Nagle, [email protected]