The engineering programs at Penn State Erie, Behrend College recently received a boost with the addition of a new Advanced Manufacturing and Innovation Center (AMIC) to their campus.
The $16.6 million, 60,000 square foot building is designed to integrate industry and research with the school’s student and faculty population in an “open lab” model - where engineering education takes place alongside local manufacturing companies in a shared space.
This open lab concept encourages faculty, students and local business leaders to team up and engage in research and product development. This collaborative approach gives local companies and manufacturers access to campus facilities and space, while students get hands on experience with real world applications of their growing skills.
“Innovation most often occurs at the places where people and ideas intersect,” said Ralph Ford, chancellor of Penn State Erie, The Behrend College.
“By co-locating students, faculty members and industry partners in shared space, with access to the region’s most advanced technology, we are removing many of the obstacles that can limit the development or refinement of products. Here, when inspiration hits, you have immediate access to the tools and talent you need to make that idea a reality.”
The building’s west wing offers space dedicated to Penn State’s large mechanical engineering and industrial engineering programs, including space for faculty offices, classrooms and labs. This section also houses the region’s most powerful environmental scanning electron microscope, purchased with a National Science Foundation grant, which can magnify the surface of both hard and soft materials, including tissue samples, by up to 1 million times.
This space also serves as an expansion of the school’s Advanced Manufacturing Lab, housing manufacturing facilities ranging from 3D printers to a Tinius system that can apply 120,000 pounds of tensile strength.
The AMIC’s east wing houses industry tenants and the shared 19,000 square foot manufacturing space, including high bay space for specialized machinery as required.
“Our students benefit when they work with experienced professionals to solve specific product-design challenges,” Ford said.
He added, “At the same time, by bringing in new ideas and approaches, they improve the technology and systems that support local manufacturing. That’s a win not only for the college and our partners, but for the entire Erie region.”
The facility was funded in part by the Greater Erie Industrial Development Corp., a company dedicated to improving the manufacturing industry in the region. This includes the Knowledge Park area, serving as a hub for local companies tied into the school’s infrastructure.
“Knowledge Park is finally at the point where the original collaborative vision is being realized,” said John Elliott, CEO and president of DevelopErie.
“The Penn State Behrend-DevelopErie partnership provides a first-class atmosphere for businesses who want access to intellectual and technical resources. The focus of Knowledge Park is a customized, collaborative environment,” he added.
Find out more at Penn State Behrend’s website or through the School of Engineering.