ORONO, Maine — The University of Maine has a new $78 million addition to its campus this school year.
The E. James and Eileen P. Ferland Engineering Education and Design Center will be a staple in UMaine's undergraduate engineering education.
"Every student's going to be in this building at least once a day for something,” Dana Humphrey, the dean of engineering, said. “This is where they're going to live, so to speak.”
The facility’s key feature, according to Humphrey, is its Student Project Design Suite. The space will offer 48 work benches to assign to students surrounded by several different types of shops -- biomedical, electronics, 3D printing, vehicle, metal, wood and composites -- with materials for projects.
“We want to be sure that students from throughout Maine understand that the University of Maine is a place where they can study engineering in a facility that is top notch where they will be able to become the innovators for tomorrow for our state,” UMaine President Joan Ferrini-Mundy said.
School leaders say the facility will plug into a statewide initiative to address the need for more engineers.
“We are not graduating enough [engineering students], and this building will both attract people and give them an awesome education,” Humphrey said.
Ferrini-Mundy said there will be numerous resources, like possible student exchanges, for students that will touch every campus in the UMaine system.
In addition to engineering education, the building will serve as a campus welcome and outreach center, with student common areas and food services available.
The facility was funded by $50 million from the state legislature and $25 million from more than 500 private donors, according to Humphrey.
The facility’s grand opening is Wednesday morning, just days ahead of the new school year that starts Aug. 29. Anyone who is interested in watching the grand opening ceremony can view it here.