BUILDING UPDATE

The university broke ground on the Engineering Systems Research and Academic Building On October 5th as part of a ceremony that officially kicked off the Frank Batten College of Engineering and Technology's 50th anniversary celebration. Included in the ceremony were remarks from Dean Oktay Baysal; Brittany Gesner, a master's student in engineering and former Kaufman Prize winner; Dr. Stephen Knisley, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, the Batten Endowed Chair in Biomedical Engineering and a future tenant of the new building; President John Broderick; and Virginia Delegate John Cosgrove of Chesapeake, a 1985 ODU engineering graduate. Baysal said the new building will "offer new opportunities for student learning and faculty research while working toward the vision of becoming a world-class engineering college connecting knowledge, practice and research." The building is scheduled to open in 2014. Please find select images of the joyous event below. For more photos from the day, check out the College's online photo gallery.