Planning underway for futuristic facility grand opening celebration

Featuring state-of-the-art labs and classrooms, solar paneling to provide electricity for student projects, an Internet café, a 92-seat auditorium, a virtual reality center and much more, the University of West Florida’s new School of Science and Engineering Building is slated to open in spring 2010. The cutting-edge, four-story facility will be a hub for innovation both for UWF and the Northwest Florida region. Preparing for the debut of the futuristic facility since January 2009, UWF will hold a Grand Opening Celebration for the building Feb. 3 through 5, 2010.

“The grand opening will serve as an opportunity to introduce this incredible facility to our alumni, friends and the community,” said Gretchen VanValkenburg, chair of the Science and Engineering Building Grand Opening Committee. “This new school will become a magnet for science and engineering activities throughout the region. Alumni, community partners, exhibitors, students and others will all be invited to attend festivities surrounding the event.”

Grand opening plans for the new building include a ribbon-cutting ceremony, as well as tours of the facility conducted by UWF students and an unmanned tour robot designed and developed by students of the School of Science and Engineering.

“Guests who tour the facility will have a chance to view science on display through glass-walled laboratories where students in the School of Science and Engineering will work on projects,” said VanValkenburg. “They will also see unmanned vehicle fabrication, the ‘Holodeck,’ a 3-D virtual reality simulator and several other state-of-the-art attractions.”

Another highlight of the celebration will be a Technology Expo Day featuring regional, national and professional associations. Attendees will have the opportunity to visit with exhibitors, participate in breakout sessions and network with successful alumni and industry experts. Participants will also have the opportunity to meet UWF students and faculty who will showcase their projects and accomplishments in their respective fields. A UWF alumni reunion and engineering banquet are also being planned. The grand opening celebration will culminate with a black-tie optional gala with proceeds benefiting students in the School of Science and Engineering.

Seven programs and more than 950 students and 53 faculty and staff make up the School of Science and Engineering. The Departments of Computer Science, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Mathematics and Statistics and Physics will all reside in the new building. The building will be a haven for students with functional spaces throughout including open labs, technical support and advising areas, which will create a ‘one-stop shop’ for students across all programs.

For more information about the grand opening celebration, contact VanValkenburg at gvalkenb@uwf.edu. For more information about the UWF School of Science and Engineering, contact Leo ter Haar, director, at lterhaar@uwf.edu.

Written by Josh Lyons, University Marketing Communications