Building toward the future of STEM and tech
As a top-tier, Carnegie-designated R1 research university, FIU is expanding its engineering footprint to prepare the next generation of professionals to generate solutions at the interface of technology and human needs.
$75.4M
Investment in the future of our students and community
121,000 ft 2
Makerspace labs, active learning classrooms and research labs
+350
Additional engineers FIU could graduate each year
FIU is constructing a new College of Engineering and Computing center — a 121,000-square-foot, six-story building that will house makerspace labs, active learning classrooms and research laboratories on FIU’s main campus. The new multidisciplinary facility is designed to better prepare the next generation of engineering and computing professionals as part of an effort to help graduate more engineers and expand innovation in Miami and throughout the state.
The LEED Certified Gold building will feature 20,000 square feet of interactive research and teaching space with best in-class computing and prototyping equipment for advancements in the fields of cybersecurity, nanotechnology drug delivery and environmental resilience. The $75.4 million facility will be constructed thanks in large part to a state legislative appropriation of $39 million and additional philanthropic and research funding. Technology in the building will be enhanced with private funds, including part of a $10 million gift from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
FIU’s College of Engineering and Computing is home to nearly 8,000 engineering and computing students, including nearly 1,100 graduate students. In AY2021, the college graduated nearly 2,000 engineers and computer scientists. The college was ranked No. 1 in the U.S. in awarding bachelor’s degrees to Hispanic students and No. 11 in awarding bachelor’s degrees to African Americans by the American Society for Engineering Association (ASEE) in 2021.
The engineering expansion would position FIU to graduate an additional 350 engineers each year, create 550 jobs in South Florida, increase research spending by $30 million a year, and result in 27 additional patent applications per year.
DLC chair and FIU alumnus committed to building bright futures
A local HVAC business, owned and operated by alumni, is the first to make a private donation toward the construction of FIU’s much-anticipated new College of Engineering and Computing center.
A&P Air Conditioning is donating $100,000 toward the construction of the approximately 121,000-square-foot, six-story facility, which broke ground on Thursday, September 9th. The new multi-disciplinary space will be equipped with makerspace labs, active learning classrooms and research laboratories in proximity to university talent, including FIU’s Academic Health Center. It will be erected on the corner of Southwest 8th Street and 107th Avenue on FIU’s main campus. The gift also benefits the $750 million Next Horizon campaign, which advances student success and research excellence at FIU.
At the helm of A&P Air Conditioning sits Adrian F. Gonzalez, an FIU alumnus who earned his bachelor of science in mechanical engineering with a professional certificate in HVAC design from FIU in 2017. A&P Air Conditioning’s co-owner and Vice President, Meyer Sarshalom, is also an alumnus who earned his B.S. in electrical engineering in 2008 and his master’s in business administration in 2011.