New Opportunities

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LABS, DESIGN SPACES, CLASSROOMS & INTERACTIVE ARTWORK

All Part of New Academic Building

NEW BUILDING NEW OPPORTUNITIES

Nearly two years after initial planning and start of construction, excitement is building at Rose-Hulman with the opening of a new academic building late this summer. With its new classrooms, laboratories, workspaces, and an interactive artistic exhibit that includes a programming component for students, the $29 million, 70,000-square-foot building further enhances the institute’s leadership role in undergraduate science, engineering and mathematics education.

Situated between Moench Hall and Myers Hall on the east side of campus, it is the first academic-centric building added to the institute in nearly 25 years. The building is also the first on campus to meet new WELL-certified standards for design interventions, operational protocols and policies with a commitment to fostering a culture of health and wellness—important criteria in this post-COVID-19 pandemic era.

The building’s design supports active student engagement through flexible and easily adaptable spaces for classrooms, laboratories and design studios, and breakout space for students and teams to collaborate on projects. “These academic features are welcome additions to our campus, says President Robert A. Coons. “This building continues our commitment to provide our students and faculty with leading-edge facilities and equipment to educate tomorrow’s STEM leaders and innovators. It also was our desire to design a building that meets our current and future needs, with special attention paid to sustainability, health and safety.” The project is being supported through a $15 million lead gift from an anonymous donor, along with other individual and family donors, as part of the Mission Driven Campaign for Rose-Hulman.

WHAT’S INSIDE THE BUILDING:

- State-of-the-art chemistry laboratories - Design studios - Flexible classrooms - Collaboration workspaces - Faculty innovation spaces

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The new academic building, between Moench and Myers Halls, is the first academic-centric building added to campus in nearly 25 years.

The building was designed by RATIO Architects of Indianapolis and construction was managed by Garmong Construction Services of Terre Haute. Several subcontractors and local laborers were involved in the project since the summer of 2019.

A NEW ‘HOME’ FOR MANY AREAS

Provost and 1985 mechanical engineering alumnus Rick Stamper points out that the new building has multiple purposes and will be used by several academic departments for classes, laboratories and interdisciplinary projects. It will be the new home base for the institute’s expanding engineering design program; provides more space for chemistry and biochemistry instruction and research; and introduces a new food science development and testing laboratory. Students also will have access to prototyping laboratories that include laser-cutting devices, 3D printers, machine tools, and CNC machines. “The new chemistry and design labs will have a dramatic impact on the experiences of nearly every future Rose-Hulman student,” states Stamper. “Chemistry is a foundational science for almost every one of our majors and design is a central

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activity for all engineering majors. The new academic building improves our capability to deliver great experiences in both of those areas.” Stamper adds, “A central feature of our engineering design program is the experiential hands-on nature of the curriculum. That sort of curriculum demands a special type of facility that the new academic building delivers. However, I am particularly excited about what the new building does for our chemistry program. That department has always provided our students with incredible experiences with access to amazing instruments and equipment. The new building will put on full display our outstanding chemistry department and the wonderful experiences our chemistry faculty provide students.” Coons remarks that the new classrooms, laboratories and workspaces will allow the institute to increase academic instructional, research and faculty office opportunities in other current academic buildings throughout campus. These future plans are presently under discussion by administrators and academic department leadership.

ARTWORK BRINGS ‘DEPTH’ TO STEM

A dazzling one-of-its-kind interactive artwork is the focal point of the building’s central atrium and showcases engineering ingenuity, scientific wonder, and artistic beauty. Standing at 30 feet tall and 17 feet wide, the “Depth of Field” artwork has more than 13,000 programable light-emitting diodes

Artist Adam Buente designed the “Depth of Field“ artwork to reflect the rhythm of life and the heartbeat of the students within the building. The atrium's interactive artwork has more than 13,000 programmable LEDs that will showcase a multitude of colors throughout each day.

speckled throughout 360 custom-made components. Those will showcase a multitude of colors every minute throughout each day, reflecting the ever-changing conditions within the building environment. Each morning, as the sun rises, warm-colored tones are introduced and expanded throughout the day. As the sun sets, the colors change to cooler shades—to be repeated the next day, but with slightly different color palates.

“This building continues our commitment to provide our students and faculty with leading-edge facilities and equipment to educate tomorrow’s STEM leaders and innovators.”

— Robert A. Coons

Rose-Hulman President

Learn more about the new academic building at www.rose-hulman.edu/AcademicBuilding

“This artwork will reflect the rhythm of life and the heartbeat of the students within the building,” says artist Adam Buente, who specially designed the artwork with business partner Kyle Perry of Indianapolis’ Project One Studio. “It will be different every second of every day. Each image will never be repeated.” As a special feature, Rose-Hulman students will be able to program features of the artistic arrangements through future courses in science, engineering, mathematics, humanities, and the arts. “Like the artwork itself, this project has boundless possibilities,” says Kay C Dee, associate dean of learning and technology and professor of biology and biomedical engineering.

DINKELS ADORE ‘WOW’ FACTOR

Tom Dinkel, a 1972 mechanical engineering alumnus, and his wife, Susie, provided a charitable gift to cover the cost of creating and installing the artwork. The couple met as undergraduate college students in Terre Haute—Susie is an Indiana State University nursing graduate—and remained in the community to raise their family. Tom ultimately became president and chief executive officer of Sycamore Engineering and its associated enterprises. He has supported Rose-Hulman as a longtime member of the institute’s Board of Trustees, currently serving as its treasurer, and mentor for the campus’ Alpha Tau Omega fraternity chapter. “We saw supporting the art project as a different way of supporting a place (Rose-Hulman) that means so much to both of us and the Terre Haute community. We wanted something that affects the lives of all Rose-Hulman students,” Tom Dinkel says. President Coons adds, “Like the artwork itself, this project has taken on a life of its own, thanks to the vision, imagination and creativity of the artists, our faculty, staff and students, and the support of Tom and Susie Dinkel. Designed to take maximum advantage of natural light, we wanted the atrium to be a showpiece that provides a ‘window into Rose,’ shining light on all of the innovation that will be taking place in this exciting new campus building.” The Dinkels appreciate that the Depth of Field exhibit melds aspects of art and engineering, with each of its panels being specially fabricated to fit together like a giant puzzle, controllable through a central computer system, and held onto the wall by strong magnets. “This artwork had a ‘wow’ factor that intrigued us,” says Susie Dinkel. “Hopefully, students will enjoy the opportunity to work directly with the piece as it brightens their day.” n

Rose-Hulman students will be able to program features of the artistic arrangements in future STEM courses. The “Depth of Field“ artwork had a “wow“ factor that intrigued Board of Trustees treasurer Tom Dinkel (BSME, 1972/HDENG, 2015) and his wife, Susie, who supported the project's creation and installation.

“We saw supporting the art project as a different way of supporting a place (Rose-Hulman) that means so much to both of us and the Terre Haute community. We wanted something that affects the lives of all Rose-Hulman students.”

— Tom Dinkel (BSME, 1972/HDENG, 2015)

“This artwork had a ‘wow’ factor that intrigued us. Hopefully, students will enjoy the opportunity to work directly with the piece as it brightens their day.”

— Susie Dinkel

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Come and See at Homecoming

After its grand opening for the start of the 2021-22 school year, the new academic building will be open for visiting alumni during this year’s Homecoming, October 8-10.

Provost Rick Stamper (ME, 1985) provides a quick tour inside the new academic building and showcases many of its exciting new features: www.rose-hulman.edu/BuildingTour