Purdue dedicates Gatewood Wing of Mechanical Engineering
The Gatewood Wing of Mechanical Engineering is attached to the Mechanical Engineering Building, near Hovde Hall. (Purdue University photo/Andrew Hancock)
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue University dedicated the Roger B. Gatewood Wing of Mechanical Engineering on Friday (Oct. 21).
The new wing, which is connected to the Mechanical Engineering Building, opened in August. It is Purdue's first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) building, earning a LEED Gold certification.
Gatewood adds 41,000 square feet to the Mechanical Engineering Building, increasing the original building's space by 55 percent. It includes flexible classroom space, student commons, computer labs, student learning labs, faculty offices, conference rooms and research labs.
"That this building has earned LEED Gold certification is a point of pride for Purdue. We are fortunate to have generous alumni and friends who understand that a state-of-the-art building, with a focus on new approaches to engineering education, helps students and faculty be successful," said President France A. Córdova.
Among the lead donors are Roger Gatewood, Milton B. and the late Betty Ruth Hollander, Catherine and the late Donald W. Feddersen, Michael and Elaine Thiele, and James and Diane Perrella, along with corporate partner Caterpillar Foundation.
"This building is as fine a facility for faculty and students studying mechanical engineering as can be found anywhere in the country," said Leah Jamieson, the John A. Edwardson Dean of Engineering. "For that, we are deeply grateful to those who helped make it possible."
Roger Gatewood earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering in 1968. He was given the Outstanding Mechanical Engineer Award from Purdue in 2006. In 1980 he founded Westfield Homes. Over the next 25 years, the company would develop and construct thousands of neighborhood homes in Illinois, Florida and the Carolinas.
He founded Westbay City Homes to develop affordable mixed-use communities in strategic downtown locations. Several city blocks in Tampa, Fla., were rezoned to create a self-sustained urban community. He also formed St. Pete Beach Ventures to develop boutique infill projects.
"Purdue mechanical engineering is evolving from individual work to group interaction and even interaction with other schools," Gatewood said. "This new wing will facilitate that. It's going to give a higher visibility to projects and research that are now taking place in any space available across campus."
The Milton B. and Betty Ruth Hollander Atrium spotlights mechanical engineering as Purdue's first engineering discipline. Betty Hollander made a gift originally in honor of her husband, a 1951 graduate in mechanical engineering. He was named a Distinguished Engineering Alumnus in 1972 and received an honorary doctorate in 2009. Milton Hollander is CEO and chairman of the board of Newport Electronics Inc. and holds more than 200 patents worldwide.
Betty Hollander, who died in April, was the founder, chairwoman and CEO of Omega Engineering.
The clock from the original Heavilon Hall, the first mechanical engineering building, is a highlight of the open atrium. It dates to 1896 and was restored by John Fessler, a retired School of Veterinary Medicine professor who died in April.
Donald Feddersen earned his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering in 1956 and received an honorary doctorate in engineering in 2001. He served as CEO of both Applicon and Entrex.
James Perrella earned his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering in 1960 and his master's in industrial engineering in 1961, both from Purdue. He received an honorary doctorate in engineering from Purdue in 1994. He is the retired CEO, president and chairman of Ingersoll-Rand Co.
The atrium of the new Gatewood Wing is named for donors Milton B. and Betty Ruth Hollander. (Purdue University photo/Andrew Hancock)
In the Dr. James and Diane Perrella Human Injury Research and Regenerative Technologies Laboratory, students and faculty will focus on the convergences between mechanical and biomedical engineering. For instance, a study of how the human body is affected by forces such as those that cause damage to the vertebrae in the neck and spine will provide information needed to develop new devices, implants and systems to replace damaged and worn out body parts.
Michael Thiele earned his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering in 1963 and is the retired executive vice president and director of Bechtel Group in Houston. In the Michael and Elaine Thiele Conceptualization Laboratory, undergraduate students have significantly more space to begin the initial planning and fabrication process for their capstone senior design projects in mechanical engineering.
Caterpillar Foundation, which focuses on gifts to enhance educational programs and serves as the conduit for the company's philanthropic endeavors, named the concept of the Product Engineering and Realization Laboratory (PEARL). This space is dedicated to undergraduate student success in the design and innovation process. It provides collaborative workspaces and state-of-the-art equipment.
"The Gatewood Wing showcases a new kind of engineering education," said Anil Bajaj, the William E. and Florence E. Perry Head of Mechanical Engineering and Alpha P. Jamison Professor of Mechanical Engineering. "It features student-centered, collaborative learning designed to train engineers of the next generation."
The School of Mechanical Engineering has more than 1,100 undergraduate and 550 graduate students and 64 faculty members. Its facilities include two major satellite research laboratories, the Ray W. Herrick Laboratories and the Maurice J. Zucrow Laboratories.
Writer: Judith Barra Austin, 765-494-2432, jbaustin@purdue.edu
Sources: France A. Córdova, president@purdue.edu
Leah Jamieson, 765-494-9321, lhj@purdue.edu
Anil Bajaj, 765-494-6896, anil.k.bajaj.1@purdue.edu
Note to Journalists: The dedication will begin at 4:30 p.m. Friday (Oct. 21) at the Gatewood building.