| VIDEO |
 * Purdue President France A. Córdova and Roger B. Gatewood talk about the new wing. (1 minute, 7 seconds) |
| RELATED INFO |
| * Purdue Mechanical Engineering |
| * Purdue Engineering |
October 25, 2007
Mechanical engineering celebrates Gatewood Wing
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - |
The Roger B. Gatewood Wing, the first Purdue building constructed to environmental standards set by the U.S. Green Building Council, will add approximately 41,000 square feet to the Mechanical Engineering Building, increasing its space by 55 percent. Gatewood, a 1968 graduate, gave the key leadership gift to the School of Mechanical Engineering in 2003 to support the new learning and research facility.
Gatewood has agreed to make an additional gift to fund the design and construction cost to qualify the building to seek Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System™ certification, through the U.S. Green Building Council.
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"Purdue has a long tradition of being one of this country's educational leaders in the mechanical engineering field," said university President France A. Córdova. "The Gatewood Wing will give our students and faculty access to the latest cutting-edge teaching techniques that industry has come to expect from us."
The Gatewood Wing will include a classroom that will facilitate peer-to-peer learning. The Robert L. and Catherine R. Orth Student Commons and the Herbert A. and Janice Wilson Student Commons will each provide much needed space for students to informally group as teams and work on projects and coursework. Students also will experience a microcosm of the entire product life cycle in the Product Engineering and Realization Lab.
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"The Roger B. Gatewood Wing of the Mechanical Engineering Building will be as fine of a facility for faculty and students studying mechanical engineering as anywhere in the country," said Leah Jamieson, the John A. Edwardson Dean of Engineering. "We are very grateful for the gifts that help us make this possible."
The centerpiece of the Gatewood Wing will be the Dr. Milton B. Hollander Atrium, which will spotlight mechanical engineering as Purdue's first engineering discipline. The clock from the original Heavilon Hall (the first mechanical engineering building) will be placed in the atrium and used as a working model with all of its components clearly visible. The space also will showcase student projects and serve as a venue for student design competitions and recruiting events.
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The James and Diane Perrella Biomechanics Laboratory will provide space to study how the human body is affected by forces such as those that cause damage to the vertebrae in the neck and spine, providing information needed to develop new devices, implants and systems to replace damaged and worn out body parts.
"The Gatewood Wing will help showcase an exciting new kind of engineering education being piloted now," said E. Dan Hirleman, the William E. and Florence E. Perry Head of the School of Mechanical Engineering. "Instead of the traditional separation of lecture halls and laboratories, central design and fabrication areas will be surrounded by collaboration rooms where student project teams (locally and internationally distributed) will hold design reviews. The fundamental premise is that student-centered, collaborative learning in an experiential environment is optimal for engineers and scientists of the next generation."
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In 1980 Gatewood, of St. Petersburg, Fla., formed Westfield Homes, and over the next 25 years Westfield Homes would develop and construct thousands of neighborhood homes in Illinois, Florida and the Carolinas. Besides many housing design honors, Westfield was one of the first winners of a global ReLeaf award, sponsored by the American Forestry Association and the National Association of Home Builders, for environmentally sensitive landplaning.
Addressing the increasing demand for quality urban living as an alternative to the suburban lifestyle, he formed Westbay City Homes LLC to develop affordable mixed-use communities in strategic downtown locations. Several city blocks in downtown Tampa, Fla., were assembled and rezoned to create a self-sustained urban community. He recently formed St. Pete Beach Ventures to develop boutique urban infill projects.
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Gatewood, who grew up in Falls Church, Va., graduated with his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Purdue in 1968. He earned his MBA from the University of Chicago. In 2003 he received Purdue's Distinguished Pinnacle Award and serves on the Campaign for Purdue Steering Committee. He was awarded the Outstanding Mechanical Engineer Award from Purdue in 2006.
The Milton B. Hollander Atrium was named in recognition of a gift from Betty Hollander to honor her husband, who is a 1951 Purdue mechanical engineering graduate. Milton B. Hollander is CEO and chairman of the board of Newport Electronics Inc. and holds more than 200 patents worldwide. He was previously corporate vice president of science and technology for Gulf + Western Inc. and a strong supporter of research programs at Purdue. Hollander was named a Distinguished Engineering Alumnus in 1972 and has been a member of the Purdue President's Council for more than 40 years.
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James Perrella earned his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering in 1960 and his master's degree in industrial engineering in 1961, both from Purdue. He is the retired CEO, president and chairman of Ingersoll-Rand Co. Ltd., an industrial machinery company in Woodcliff, N.J. In 1994 he received an honorary doctorate in engineering from Purdue.
Other areas of the Gatewood Wing will be named for leadership gifts from Caterpillar Inc.; Donald and Catherine Feddersen of Wellesley, Mass.; and Mike and Elaine Thiele of Houston.
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Donald W. Feddersen (deceased) earned his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering in 1956 and received an honorary doctorate in engineering from Purdue in 2001. Feddersen served as CEO of both Applicon and Entrex. Mike Thiele earned his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Purdue in 1963. He is a retired executive vice president and director for the Bechtel Group in Houston.
The School of Mechanical Engineering serves more than 1,250 undergraduate and graduate students and has extensive facilities that include two major satellite research laboratories, the Ray W. Herrick Laboratories and the Zucrow Laboratories (formerly the
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The Gatewood Wing fundraising recognition is part of a two-week celebration surrounding Purdue's Homecoming on Oct. 27. The events focus on ways Purdue is improving education and the quality of life in Indiana.
Writer: Clyde Hughes (765) 494-2073, jchughes@purdue.edu
Sources: Leah Jamieson, (765) 494-5346, lhj@purdue.edu
E. Dan Hirleman, (765) 494-5688, hirleman@purdue.edu
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
PHOTO CAPTION:
Roger B. Gatewood receives the Crystal Boilermaker from Purdue President France A. Córdova during Thursday's (Oct. 25) dedication of the Gatewood Wing of Mechanical Engineering. (Purdue News Service photo/Dave Umberger)
A publication-quality photo is available at https://www.purdue.edu/uns/images/+2007/gatewood-presentation.jpg
PHOTO CAPTION:
Roger B. Gatewood and his daughter Catherine Gatewood listen to a presentation Thursday (Oct. 25) during the Gatewood Wing of Mechanical Engineering dedication ceremony. The $33 million wing is scheduled for completion in 2010. (Purdue News Service photo/Dave Umberger)
A publication-quality photo is available at https://www.purdue.edu/uns/images/+2007/gatewoods.jpg
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