Away from the books, away from the tests and burning of midnight oil, the study of engineering continues in a different way. Through various engineering societies, students learn engineering by doing engineering -- creating Formula 1 cars, mini baja cars, high-speed miniature planes, or motorcycles for competition -- and have great fun in the process.
"Working on these projects creates lifetime memories," says Robert Pitz, chair of mechanical engineering, under whose auspices the projects occur. "The students raise the money, work nights and weekends on design and construction, and get caught up in the excitement surrounding the projects."
The new building will enhance this experience by bringing all of the projects into one big complex, allowing friendships to develop among the different groups, Pitz says. Currently projects are scattered: the Formula 1 car is being built in a corner of a Jacobs Hall laboratory, and a high-speed plane previously was constructed in the attic of Olin Hall. "We want students to feel ownership of this new space. We hope they remember these projects with the same fondness that earlier generations of alumni remember surveying camp."
The new engineering building has also been designed to provide students an integrated -- "art to part" -- look at manufacturing. The projects room, freshman and senior design classes, the design studio, model shop, and various labs are being placed in contiguous spaces to allow students to brainstorm and take an item from concept to prototype to final product.

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