CU Boulder broke ground today on a new 144,000-square-foot aerospace engineering building, with even spacesuit-clad听mascot Chip turning one of the first shovels-full of dirt for the project.
The state of Colorado is a hub of the nation鈥檚 aerospace industry, and the new facility, slated to open in the summer of 2019听on East Campus,听aims to put CU Boulder鈥檚 nationally ranked Ann and H.J. Smead Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences at the center of that innovation.
鈥淐U Boulder has long been at the forefront of aerospace education and research, and this new facility showcases our commitment to enhancing the ability of our students and faculty members to lead in a way that is innovative and impacts humanity in a positive way,鈥� said CU Boulder Chancellor Philip DiStefano.
DiStefano and other guests, including College of Engineering and Applied Sciences Dean Bobby Braun, Jay Lindell of the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade, and CU alumna Kathryn Tobey, a Lockheed Martin Space Systems executive, joined students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members in kicking off construction of the new facility. The groundbreaking ceremony took place in front of the Sustainability, Energy and Environment Community (SEEC), and attendees were offered a chance to take virtual reality tours of the new building.
CU Boulder鈥檚 aerospace engineering sciences graduate program is ranked among the top 10 in the nation by U.S. News & World Report.
鈥淐U Boulder鈥檚 investment in this new facility will support not just Colorado鈥檚 workforce, but the research and partnership that will further drive our success as a state,鈥� Lindell, aerospace and defense champion in Gov. John Hickenlooper鈥檚 office, said. 鈥淭ogether, we will ensure Colorado remains an international leader in aerospace innovation.鈥�
