ECE opens two new spaces for students in MSEE building
The reception featured words from Dimitri Peroulis, the Michael and Katherine Birck Head of the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering; James Krogmeier, associate head for facilities and planning; and Mung Chiang, the John A. Edwardson Dean of the College of Engineering. Remarks were followed by tours of the design studio.
“Thanks to the generous support from Max Brown and from Bill and Shirley Rice, the ECE leadership re-envisioned one of the most prominent spaces on campus and moved another key step forward in the 10-year engineering space plan,” Chiang said. “What we have now in MSEE atrium and design studio are opportunities for innovative programs and people, as we continue to propel toward the pinnacle of excellence at scale.”
The Max W. Brown Atrium has been under renovation since August. The newly reopened space is intended as a welcoming and inspiring location for students in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Atrium furniture designs were selected to ensure that every student feels comfortable as they work on assignments and collaborate on team projects.
“The Max Brown Atrium and the Bill and Shirley Rice Design Studio will serve countless Boilermaker engineers and are going to provide benefits to Purdue ECE students from all walks of life,” Peroulis said. “The Max Brown Atrium will be our school’s inspirational front door through which our students will walk on their first day at Purdue and imagine the great accomplishments that are possible. The Bill and Shirly Rice Design Studio is a center that promotes academic excellence, and functions as a flexible space for our ECE students to work on collaborative projects, meet with teaching assistants, and create design presentations for project courses and senior designs. Both of these facilities will be an important centerpiece for our school as we begin a new era of innovation and leadership.”
The design goal for the Bill and Shirley Rice Design Studio was the development of a flexible space for students to work on collaborative projects, meet with teaching assistants, and create presentations for courses and senior designs. A first-floor computer lab near the atrium was converted and expanded into a more accommodating configuration, reflecting a dedication to collaborative engineering and team-based innovation.
Max Brown received his Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering at Purdue in 1970, and Bill Rice received his Bachelor of Science in electrical science in 1954.