RIT’s College of Engineering Dedicates New Research Space for Senior Design Projects

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A. Sue Weisler

RIT’s Kate Gleason College of Engineering dedicated a new multi-million dollar research wing of the James E. Gleason Building during a Sept. 7 ceremony. The wing houses the Department of Computer Engineering, the Brinkman Machine Tools and Manufacturing Laboratory and space for student projects through the college's multidisciplinary senior design program.

The Kate Gleason College of Engineering at Rochester Institute of Technology dedicated a new research wing of the James E. Gleason Building during a Sept. 7 ceremony on the RIT campus. The wing houses the Department of Computer Engineering, the Brinkman Machine Tools and Manufacturing Laboratory and space for student project work through the college’s multidisciplinary senior design program. The construction was funded through the efforts of several donors including the Gleason Foundation, the Brinkman Family Foundation and Harris Corp.

“I am grateful to all of the people and organizations that helped make this possible and am confident this addition will enhance the Kate Gleason College of Engineering’s efforts to provide cutting-edge engineering research and education,” notes Harvey Palmer, dean of the college.

“The Gleason family has long believed that RIT’s combination of real-world application, education and research is a major asset to our region and the engineering community,” adds James Gleason, chairman of the Gleason Foundation and trustee emeritus of the RIT Board of Trustees. “We are happy to continue our support of the College of Engineering’s mission through this important project.”

RIT’s Kate Gleason College of Engineering is among the nation’s top-ranked engineering colleges and is well known for its experiential learning efforts. The college requires all bachelor’s degree students to complete a senior design project in their field during the fifth and final year of the program. Many of these design efforts have ultimately been transferred to research and commercial applications in partnership with area companies.

RIT was also the first university to offer undergraduate degrees in microelectronic and software engineering as well as the first with a Ph.D. in microsystems engineering.

“Having grown up in the machine tool industry I have a better appreciation than most of how important the machine tool industry is to the well being of the country,” adds Robert Brinkman, chairman of Brinkman International Group. “Defense, home building, electronics, plastics, transportation and medicine would all be impossible without machine tools to build the necessary tools, components and equipment. RIT’s College of Engineering has long provided highly competent graduates and needed applied research to this industry and I am proud to support the continued expansion of their efforts.”

“Harris has always been committed to investing in the Rochester community,” says Dana Mehnert, president, Harris RF Communications. “The outstanding engineering talent that stems from RIT graduates provides Harris with a great opportunity to strengthen its workforce. We are pleased to contribute to their engineering research and education.”