Fairfield University's new state-of-the-art facility will provide School of Engineering students and faculty with lab space for research, collaboration, and instruction.
An eager crowd comprised of Fairfield University faculty, staff, senior leadership, and the Toole family gathered in the atrium of Bannow Science Center on Monday, July 12, 2021 for a special dedication ceremony celebrating the opening of the School of Engineering’s new Dr. Patrick and Mary Ann Toole Computer Laboratory.
Established through the generosity of Deacon Patrick and Lindy Toole, the new state-of-the-art facility will provide engineering students and faculty opportunities for research, collaboration, and instruction. It will also be used for senior capstone projects and high school STEM camps.
The lab is equipped with 25 high-performance computers with cutting-edge engineering software capable of performing advanced electrical and mechanical modeling, computational fluid dynamics, heat transfer modeling, electrical and system simulation, advanced product design and manufacturing, System Dynamics and Control Systems, 3-D solid modeling, statistical software, and more.
Dean of the School of Engineering Andres Carrano, PhD opened the ceremony by discussing what sets Fairfield University’s School of Engineering apart. He noted that a Jesuit education and its mission to develop “men and women for others” uniquely prepares our graduates to be a different kind of engineer, “one that uses their talent and understanding for the betterment of society, and to promote social responsibility.”
Rev. Gerald Blaszczak, S.J., assistant to the President and alumni chaplain, followed with a blessing and the official plaque unveiling. In his blessing he noted how the new space will advance knowledge and learning, and form a new generation of engineers who “display character and integrity and a heightened sense of social justice and environmental responsibility.”
Following the plaque unveiling, attendees were invited to take a tour of the lab and speak with Dean Carrano and Shahrokh Etemad, PhD, professor and chair of the Mechanical Engineering Department.
“We are tremendously grateful for the generosity of the Toole family. It is this type of philanthropy that allows us to concentrate in our mission to produce engineering leaders who are deeply rooted in ethical and social justice principles, while staying at the cutting edge of technology in our programs,” said Dean Carrano.
For more information about Fairfield University's School of Engineering, visit fairfield.edu/engineering.
