Groundbreaking Ceremony Held for Planned Aero-propulsion, Mechatronics and Energy Building
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida State University President Eric J. Barron led a groundbreaking ceremony today to mark the start of construction of a 60,000-square-foot university facility that will support advanced research in aerospace and aviation, mechatronics (robotics) and sustainable energy engineering.
“These are areas of extraordinary growth potential for the economy of the state of Florida, as well as supporting frontier areas of research activity within the university,” Barron said.
When completed in late 2011, the Aero-Propulsion, Mechatronics and Energy Building will house laboratories, equipment, offices and other infrastructure necessary to carry out the university’s research mission in several key areas seen as crucial to the economic development of the state and nation. Among the organizations that will be housed in the $23 million facility are Florida State’s Energy and Sustainability Center, as well as some faculty and staff from the Institute for Energy Systems, Economics and Sustainability; the university’s Center for Intelligent Systems, Control, and Robotics; and the Florida Center for Advanced Aero-Propulsion, a State University System Center of Excellence that is headquartered at FSU.
“The building’s name essentially suggests the synergistic nature of the research that will take place there,” said Chiang Shih, chairman of the Department of Mechanical Engineering within the College of Engineering. “This facility will unite three interdisciplinary groups to foster cross-cutting collaborations and exemplary educational programs.
“All three fields — aero-propulsion, mechatronics and energy — have contributed substantially to recent technological advancements that have allowed the United States to sustain its competitive edge,” said Shih, who has worked with university administrators and faculty, as well as the building’s architect, on the design for the new facility. “They will continue to be critical areas in the development of future breakthroughs to guarantee our position as the global leader in technology for the 21st century.”
The new building will be located adjacent to Florida State’s High-Performance Materials Institute — another new facility that opened its doors in February 2009 — and near the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory and the Florida A&M University-Florida State University College of Engineering on Florida State’s Southwest Campus in Tallahassee.
As its name indicates, the research that will take place within the Aero-Propulsion, Mechatronics and Energy Building will focus on three key areas:
* Aero-propulsion: The discipline of aero-propulsion deals with transportation systems and other objects that move through air, influencing the design and fabrication of aircraft, spacecraft, automotive transport, and all manner of vehicles in motion. The relevant research areas cover fundamental science topics such as aerodynamics, fluid mechanics, acoustics, thermal physics and turbulence, as well as practical applications such as combustion improvement, active control of flow separation, supersonic jet noise suppression, lift/thrust enhancement and drag reduction.
* Mechatronics: The term mechatronics, a combination of mechanics and electronics, was first used in Japan in the 1960s. From a technical perspective, it is the synergistic integration of mechanical, electrical, control and computer systems to create functional products. Mechatronics has become the enabling technology responsible for industrial innovations in numerous economic sectors, including automobiles, alternative energy, aerospace, electronics and defense. The field of mechatronics generally covers topics such as robotics, micro-electro-mechanical-systems (MEMS), intelligent systems, automated guided vehicles and smart materials.
* Energy: Seeking new energy resources that are more efficient and cost-effective and that minimize effects on the environment is among the most critical issues that the world will have to grapple with in the 21st century. The Aero-Propulsion, Mechatronics and Energy Building will house research labs for organizations that are focused on exploring reliable, affordable, safe and clean energy technologies, including projects such as Florida State’s Off-Grid, Zero-Emission Building; solar-thermal systems; a photo bioreactor for algae growth; and fuel-cell and advanced battery technologies.
Florida State’s vice president for Research, Kirby Kemper, was one of nearly a dozen people wielding a shovel at today’s groundbreaking ceremony. He said the new Aero-Propulsion, Mechatronics and Energy Building will mark a milestone in the university’s march toward preeminence in engineering and the sciences.
“This facility will enable FSU to more effectively conduct research in areas that are vital to our state’s economic future,” Kemper said. “With its proximity to the High-Performance Materials Institute, the magnet lab and other advanced research centers, our faculty and students will have opportunities for interdisciplinary research that few other institutions can provide.”
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