Two Minneapolis contracting firms recently partnered to make some long-needed repairs to the University of Minnesota’s on-campus boathouse.
Baker Technical Institute, a technical college whose main campus is in Baker City, Ore., announced this week that it’s opening a second location in Prineville, Ore., about 200 miles west. The institute will open next month to provide career and technical training to Central Oregon residents to meet the needs of skilled labor in the area.
California community college Merced College has partnered with Johnson Controls to upgrade the campus infrastructure and target deferred maintenance problems. In an effort to improve sustainability and the student experience on campus, Johnson is set to manage the design, procurement and installation of energy-efficient central plant and lighting retrofits, as well as upgrade campus building automation systems (BAS) and mechanical systems.
Michigan State University has partnered with pathogen control technology vendor UV Angel to install UV Angel Clean Air units around the MSU campus. They have already been added to busy areas like the Olin Health Center and Wonders Hall, and they’re scheduled for installation soon in campus athletic facilities. The goal is to foster cleaner, safer environments for students and faculty as they return to campus during (and after) the coronavirus pandemic.
Hanwha Techwin, producer of IP and analog video surveillance solutions, has expanded its line of multi-sensor cameras that include the Wisenet 7 chipset.
The Movo WebMic HD Pro launched on Kickstarter on March 1 and reached its target goal of $15,000 by the next day. The product combines an HD web camera, a condenser microphone, and an LED ring light into one device for what a press release calls an “all-in-one” solution for video conferencing needs on any platform.
The Bradley Corp., based in Menomonee Falls, Wis., has released a new series of stainless steel hand sanitizer dispensers and stands for quick, convenient access to hand-cleansing products. Touch-free and resilient, the commercial-grade dispensers can be placed in high-traffic areas like doorways, stairwells, lobbies, cafeterias, and more.
Sacred Heart University, located in Fairfield, Conn., has officially broken ground on the construction of a $70 million ice arena to be located in west campus. The arena continues a multiyear expansion program that aims to foster personal development, student growth, and student engagement, says SHU President John J. Petillo.
The University of Louisiana Monroe has partnered with Trox, an education technology solutions company, to install a state-of-the-art active learning classroom for its College of Pharmacy. The classroom is the first of its kind in the state, and it provides opportunities for more active participation, interaction, and collaboration among teachers and students.
Ivy League research institution Dartmouth College, located in Hanover, N.H., has selected WootCloud’s HyperContext Security Platform to provide device security and next-generation access control across the entire campus.
An effort at the University of South Florida has resulted in nearly a hundred classrooms being readied for simultaneous remote and in-person learning. The updates included installation of touchless sound systems and dual cameras.
Athens State University, located in Athens, Ga., recently installed Nureva HDL300 audio conferencing systems in almost 30 classrooms on campus.
North Carolina State University is partnering with KWK Architects and Jenkins-Peer Architects for Phase 4 of its five-phase Greek Village Master Plan. Infrastructure work is in progress for a new apartment building and two new townhouse units.
Federal energy regulators have given Oregon State University permission to move forward with PacWave South, an offshore wave energy testing facility.
Many universities around the country have designated certain campus residence halls as temporary housing for students in coronavirus-related quarantine or isolation. And some universities are starting to see these spaces fill up quickly.
The Mohawk Group has announced the expansion of its Luxury Vinyl Tile (LVT) line, Living Local, with four new styles.
Quadient has become the second-largest provider of parcel locker solutions worldwide after it reached 13,000 installation sites and more than 600,000 lockers overall during FY2020. During the first nine months of the fiscal year, which ended on Jan. 31, 2021, the company reported a 78% increase in the number of packages delivered to its smart lockers.
The University of Toledo just received a five-year, $12.5 million grant from the U.S. Air Force to develop flexible solar cell sheets for space. The photovoltaic energy sheets will be used to collect solar energy for powering Earth-based receivers or other orbital or aerial instrumentation, such as communications satellites.
Daytona State College’s Palm Coast campus is set to begin a $4.2-million renovation project that will allow it to expand its nursing program. The college has partnered with DLR Group and Charles Perry Partners, Inc., on the construction that will create teaching facilities to fit an additional 90 nursing students.
Mohawk Group, a producer and distributor of commercial flooring, announced in a press release that all of its design studios and commercial showrooms are set to receive a WELL Health-Safety Rating, as determined by the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI). Mohawk is among the first flooring manufacturers to meet this standard.
The University of Wisconsin-Platteville has received approval from the state to erect a 2.4-megawatt solar array on its campus. According to the university, this will be the largest solar array owned by a Wisconsin state agency and will make the campus the sixth-highest on-site producer of renewable energy in the country among institutions of higher education.
Faulkner University in Alabama is creating a new College of Health Sciences out of a former Burlington Coat Factory building. The work began last summer, after university President Mike Williams announced the planned conversion of a 13-acre shopping center and the empty Burlington building into a facility that would house all of Faulkner’s health science programs.
A project to reconsider how space was used for medical education that began six years ago is progressing at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. KWK Architects has repurposed a 7.8-acre industrial site and warehouse off-campus into new office space for the school.
Construction of a new solar project at New Mexico State University began this week. The university has partnered with El Paso Electric (EPE) on the initiative that they call Aggie Power, which should be sufficient to power about one-third of the 900-acre NMSU campus in Las Cruces.
The University of Virginia reported 121 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday, Feb. 15, and 229 new cases on Tuesday, Feb. 16. The university has announced a new set of health and safety regulations that are set to last through at least Friday, Feb. 26.
A series of winter storms blew through the U.S., bringing record-breaking low temperatures and leaving millions without electricity. In response, many universities are setting up warming stations to give both students and the community at large a place to take refuge against the cold.
One of the nation’s top priorities is to be able to safely reopen schools for in-person learning. The CDC has recently recommended ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) as a means for disinfecting shared spaces, especially those where ventilation is limited. UVC (ultraviolet-C) light has been proven to help deactivate SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
The University of Kentucky has revealed the plans for its new College of Design (CoD). The institution intends to renovate a century-old tobacco warehouse and turn it into a "vibrant and interactive learning space for design students." The design was done by Studio Gang, in collaboration with Louisville-based architect-of-record K. Norman Berry Associates (KNBA).
Engineering researchers at Purdue University have come up with sensors that can determine concrete strength onsite in real-time, and they're testing it right on campus. The hope is that the technology will help builders speed up their construction timelines safely.
Morehead State University in Kentucky has taken delivery of a second space antenna. The 12-meter tracking antenna was delivered to the university by NASA Deep Space Network operated by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. There, it will serve as satellite tracking station for low Earth orbiting (LEO) satellite mission support and as a training facility for students studying in the space systems engineering, astrophysics and astronomy programs.
A Virginia institution is the latest school to cover all of its electricity needs with a more sustainable source. The University of Richmond (UR) has joined campuses in Colorado, Hawaii and Minnesota to match 100 percent of its electricity usage with solar power.
Harvard University has invested in four electric buses, representing nearly a third of its fleet. The vehicles will replace four similarly-sized bio-diesel vehicles already operating on campus. Each of the new buses, from Proterra, is 35 feet long (similar in size to the current buses), has a seating capacity of 29 and runs on a 450-kWh battery.
Oregon State University in Corvallis will be getting a new Arts and Education facility. The university's board of trustees recently approved construction of the $70 million complex, which will host performing arts classes, programs and performances on the campus in a 500-seat concert hall.
San Antonio College is funding construction of a new $13 million science building from a $83 million bond approved by county voters in 2017.
According to the university, the 133,000-square-foot building is intended to support advanced research and economic development initiatives with a design that emphasizes makerspaces, collaborative research facilities and flexible gathering areas.
It will be critical for institutions to look at new ways to generate revenue and reduce expenses that are sustainable and effective. There are several initiatives that institutions can consider or implement in response to the crisis.
A company that provides "contactless" on-demand laundry and dry-cleaning services has announced a surge of business from colleges and universities, to address the needs of students who are in quarantine or isolation while living on campus.
Two universities are working together to figure out how to make energy generation, storage and system operation more efficient and reliable, especially in "microgrid" settings.