{"id":8331,"date":"2026-01-12T11:44:08","date_gmt":"2026-01-12T16:44:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/bidc\/?page_id=8331"},"modified":"2026-01-12T16:47:08","modified_gmt":"2026-01-12T21:47:08","slug":"about-the-center","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/bidc\/about\/about-the-center\/","title":{"rendered":"About The Center"},"content":{"rendered":"
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About the center<\/h1>\n
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No classes. No grades. Just a building full of students taking small steps and making giant leaps as they solve problems and get ready to change the world.<\/em> <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Students at Purdue University needed an advanced prototyping facility \u2013 a makerspace \u2013 where they could come together to design and build solutions to real-world problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Purdue Polytechnic Institute and the College of Engineering came together to create a state-of-the-art, hands-on makerspace open to all Purdue University students. Thanks to key industry partnerships, students learn, design and create at Bechtel Center using the latest equipment \u2013 the very equipment they\u2019ll use when they join the workforce after graduation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our Facility: Bechtel Innovation Design Center<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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The Bechtel Innovation Design Center, located in the heart of Purdue University\u2019s West Lafayette campus, provides a hands-on design and development environment for all Purdue students. Bechtel Center and its staff provide students with training, equipment and guidance to move their ideas from imagination to reality \u2013 helping students develop industry-ready skills along the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

History of the Bechtel Center<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

In September 2017, the Bechtel Innovation Design Center was dedicated by University president Mitch Daniels and the deans of the Purdue Polytechnic Institute and the College of Engineering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The facility is named after Stephen Bechtel, Jr., a 1946 graduate of Purdue\u2019s civil engineering program and chairman emeritus of Bechtel Group Inc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the end of 2019, Bechtel Center trained and assisted 3070 students<\/strong>, who completed 1807 projects<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learn more about the history of Bechtel Innovation Design Center<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n