September 26, 2007
Purdue University receives $1 million for exhibit in Neil Armstrong Hall
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Purdue University has been awarded a $1 million grant from the John Deere Foundation to create The Exhibitry of the Neil Armstrong Hall of Engineering.The exhibit will be located near the staircase and atrium on the first floor of the new hall. The interactive, 2,000-square-foot exhibit is expected to be unveiled in the fall of 2008. The curving 50-foot-long interior wall will serve a broad audience and will be tailored for elementary school visitors, alumni groups from specific disciplines and visiting scholars.
"The Exhibitry will enhance our efforts to excite students about what engineering and imagination contribute to all of us," said Purdue President France A. Córdova.
James H. Collins, president of the John Deere Foundation, said, "We are confident this grant will support Purdue University's objective to encourage students to pursue careers in engineering and technology fields. As longtime supporters of education, we are very excited about this partnership."
The Neil Armstrong Hall of Engineering will be dedicated Oct. 27. It will provide educational and research facilities dedicated to teamwork, hands-on learning, community-service learning and interdisciplinary connections necessary to educate the next generation of engineers, said Leah Jamieson, John A. Edwardson dean of the College of Engineering. The hall will house the College of Engineering's Dean's Office, School of Aeronautics and Astronautics, School of Materials Engineering, Department of Engineering Education, Engineering Projects in Community Service, Women in Engineering and the Minority Engineering programs.
The College of Engineering comprises 11 schools and departments: aeronautics and astronautics, agricultural and biological, biomedical, chemical, civil, electrical and computer, engineering education, industrial, materials, mechanical, and nuclear. The college includes the divisions of engineering professional education, construction engineering and management, and environmental and ecological engineering. Also, the college houses programs such as Engineering Projects in Community Service, Minority Engineering Program, Women in Engineering Program, and Indiana Space Grant Consortium.
The college has more than 6,400 undergraduate students and enrolls 2,200 graduate students.
The John Deere Foundation was established in 1948 and has invested millions of dollars to support education, human services, community development, and arts and culture. The foundation expanded its scope globally in 2005 and added Solutions to World Hunger as a fifth category for giving.
Writer: Clyde Hughes, (765) 494-2073, chughes@purdue.edu
Source: Leah Jamieson, (765) 494-5346, lhj@purdue.edu
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
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