12
E
ngineering student Lotus Pupulin
used a plasma torch to cut through an
aluminum ribbon during the grand opening
ceremonies for the Ed Lumley Centre for
Engineering Innovation (CEI) on May 31.
“I am among the first cohort of students
to walk the halls of the CEI and I am
beaming with pride and excitement,” the
third-year student of civil engineering
told officials representing every level of
government, as well as industry leaders,
educators and members of the general
public during a reception to celebrate the
opening of the $112 million facility. Pupulin
also served as a student consultant during
the design phase of the CEI.
The facility represents the largest
capital investment in the University’s
history. Construction of the building was
supported by $40 million in funding from
the government of Ontario, with matching
funds from the federal government, as
well as $5.3 million raised at a roast to
pay tribute to the Honourable Ed Lumley,
the University’s chancellor for whom the
building is named. A $2.5-million gift from
BMO Financial Group to fund the BMO
Collaborative Learning Forum was the
largest single gift made to the new facility.
“This is a major step for the University
of Windsor and for the Windsor-Essex
region,” said UWindsor president Alan
Wildeman. “The Ed Lumley Centre
for Engineering Innovation provides
our students with an extraordinary
facility within which to learn and to
see engineering in action. It provides
laboratories and research facilities where
emerging priorities such as environmental
sustainability, alternative energy,
nanostructure, lighter materials, and
more efficient manufacturing systems
can be addressed.”
Designed for the 21st century—with
more classrooms and meeting rooms,
expanded laboratory facilities, and the
latest technological tools—the CEI
greatly enhances the student experience
at UWindsor and has transformed the
Faculty of Engineering.
Its innovative Industrial Courtyard
provides a fertile ground for joint industry/
university research projects, creating a direct
connection among education, research,
and industrial innovation.
With more than 80 teaching and
research laboratories, some of the new
features have never been seen before in
North America, including the iDesign
studio and iFactory reconfigurable
manufacturing lab, and the BMO
Collaborative Learning Forum, a
350-seat auditorium that can be easily
adapted to facilitate interaction and
small-group learning.
As well, the building features eight
classrooms, more than a dozen student
meeting rooms, and more than 300
computer workstations, giving students
the collaborative meeting and study spaces
they need to prepare for the challenges of a
career in engineering.
The CEI is a “living building”
that is wired for student learning,
bringing engineering to life through
real-time monitoring of the expansive
green roof, cross-atrium bridges and
HVAC performance.
Dr. Mehrdad Saif, dean of the Faculty
of Engineering, says that, “If you believe as
I do, that engineering education is the soil
from which innovation grows, and if you
believe that innovation is what we need
for economic prosperity, then you would
agree with me that the Ed Lumley Centre
for Engineering Innovation is not only an
investment in the University of Windsor,
but it is also an investment in Windsor-
Essex region, an investment in Ontario, and
an investment in Canada.”
Ed Lumley Centre For Engineering Innovation Grand Opening
“Ribbon cutting” at the CEI grand opening. Shown
from left: Windsor Mayor Eddie Francis LLB ’02,
Chancellor Ed Lumley BComm ’61, President Alan
Wildeman, Engineering Society President Lotus
Pupulin, Essex MP Jeff Watson BA ’12, Windsor
West MPP Teresa Piruzza BA ’89, MBA ’03 and
former Chrysler Group Executive Vice-President
Frank Ewasyshyn BASc ’74, MASc ’76, MBA ’89,
LLD ’01.
