The Colorado School of Mines Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science celebrated the grand opening of “The Outlet,” a student-run lab where students can work on personal projects, finish lab experiments outside of class, or meet to work on group assignments.
Alan Barsophy, chief technical officer for ArcelorMittal USA, did the official ribbon cutting on April 27, 2016, to welcome student to their new lab space in Brown 146. ArcelorMittal was a significant donor in the creation of the lab, with Rohde & Schwarz and Ricoh also donating equipment.
“The lab can meet any electrical hardware needs that a student may have,” explained Teaching Associate Professor Stephanie Claussen. “In addition to the comfy chairs and social area, it has oscilloscopes, power meters, signal generators and a collection of components.”
The idea for the student-centered lab was originally proposed by Associate Professor Marcelo Simoes in 2014. Faculty from the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) worked closely with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) student branch at Mines in securing space, equipment, and industry support.
Current IEEE student president Emma Watson said, "The Outlet has turned out better than I could have imagined. Everyone on the student committee did an amazing job putting it together, from designing the logo, to painting, and so much more. I'd like to thank Ryan Patton, Kevin Lannan, Briana Farris, Josh Nelson, and Ben Holland for all the time and hard work they put in to making he Outlet an amazing success."
According to Atef Elsherbeni, EECS interim department head, the new lab is a great addition to variety of labs within EECS. “We are fortunate to have a variety of undergraduate and graduate labs which we continuously upgrade to meet recent technological advances,” said Elsherbeni. “We see our students spending many hours in these labs, which complement what they learn in the traditional classroom.”
The Outlet is the latest in the continuing expansion of student Maker Spaces within the College of Engineering and Computational Sciences. The lab is designed to be open 24/7 to all students with Blastercard access. Students can receive access by signing the user agreement on the EECS student portal on Blackboard. It is being managed by both student and faculty advisory committees.
See more photos from the grand opening here.
Contact:
Deirdre Keating, Information Specialist, College of Engineering and Computational Sciences | 303-384-2358 | dkeating@mines.edu
Karen Gilbert, Director of Public Relations, Colorado School of Mines | 303-273-3541 | kgilbert@mines.edu
