What: The Cockrell School of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin is celebrating the grand opening of its highly anticipated, 430,000-square-foot Engineering Education and Research Center (EERC), a facility that will serve as the hub for engineering education, research and innovation on the UT Austin campus. It is also the new home of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
When: 2:30 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 28
Where: Engineering Education and Research Center, 2501 Speedway, Austin, TX 78712
Cross the pedestrian bridge over Waller Creek and enter through the east entrance of the EERC, facing San Jacinto Boulevard.
Media: Free parking will be available to members of the media in the San Jacinto Garage (SJG), 2401 San Jacinto Blvd. (parking validation available at media check-in table).
Speakers: Gregory L. Fenves, president of The University of Texas at Austin; William McRaven, chancellor of The University of Texas System; Sharon L. Wood, dean of the Cockrell School of Engineering; Mike Peng, Cockrell School senior and president of the Student Engineering Council; Alex O’Briant, Ennead Architects
Select speakers and others will be available to speak with media following the remarks portion of the program.
Available Assets for Media: https://utexas.box.com/s/zowltsid2etno07ekr7sqy5y1hjcxw7g
Credits for assets: Cockrell School of Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin
EERC By the Numbers:
- 9 Stories high
- 130 Faculty and staff member offices
- 267 Seats in the James J. and Miriam B. Mulva Auditorium (298 max capacity)
- 8,000+ Cockrell School students who will benefit from the EERC annually
- 23,000 Total square feet of open design space in the National Instruments Student Project Center
- 432,671 Exact square feet of space in the EERC
- $65 million Raised from more than 280 Texas Engineering supporters (most ever raised in support of a UT Austin building)
Event schedule and more information: http://eerc.engr.utexas.edu/. To RSVP, please contact Patrick Wiseman, patrick.wiseman@utexas.edu, 512-232-8060, or Adrienne Lee, adriennelee@austin.utexas.edu, 512-471-7541, of the Cockrell School of Engineering.
Background: More than a decade in the making, the EERC is poised to transform the Cockrell School of Engineering — already ranked among the top 10 engineering schools in the world — and foster a new hands-on, multidisciplinary educational experience for students. The opening will showcase the signature spaces inside and outside the building (via self-guided tours) and honor the many corporations, community leaders and generous donors who supported its construction.
More than 10 years ago, the school began work on a Facilities Master Plan that identified the need for a signature multidisciplinary facility that would bring people together and encourage collaboration and innovation. The school elected to build this new facility — the EERC — on the site of the 50-year-old Engineering-Science Building. Construction began on the EERC in 2015. The Cockrell School has more than 270 faculty members and more than 8,000 students enrolled in 11 undergraduate and 13 graduate degree programs.
The design and construction project team includes Ennead Architects, Jacobs Engineering Group and Hensel Phelps.
