November 1, 2004
UC President Dynes to attend dedication
of new Engineering 2 Building on Friday, November 5
By Tim Stephens
UCSC will dedicate the new Engineering 2 Building and the Jack
Baskin Engineering Auditorium on Friday, November 5, in ceremonies
that will include UC President Robert C. Dynes, State Senator
Bruce McPherson, Assemblyman John Laird, and other distinguished
guests.
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The UCSC Foundation Forum
will take place in the new auditorium after the dedication,
starting at 4:30 p.m. The featured speaker will be tech
pioneer Lee S. Ting. (See
related story.)
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Engineering 2, completed in September, has added 150,000 square
feet of new office, laboratory, and classroom space on the UCSC
campus, primarily for the Baskin School of Engineering. The
project also includes the 212-seat auditorium and a large open
plaza that provides an inviting outdoor space between the Baskin
Engineering Building and Engineering 2.
The dedication ceremonies will begin at 3 p.m. In addition
to Dynes and McPherson, speakers will include Acting Chancellor
Martin M. Chemers, Engineering Dean Steve Kang, Interim Dean
of Social Sciences Michael Hutchison, and UC Provost and former
UCSC Chancellor M.R.C. Greenwood.
"The Engineering 2 Building represents what UC Santa Cruz
can achieve through partnerships with state government, with
other UC campuses, and with private industry and individual
donors," Chemers said.
Engineering 2 includes facilities for two California Institutes
for Science and Innovation: The Institute for Quantitative Biomedical
Research (QB3) and the Center for Information Technology Research
in the Interest of Society (CITRIS) are multicampus research
centers supported by state funding and industry partnerships
to provide the technological foundation for the state's future
economic growth.
Kang said the new building provides a much-needed expansion
of facilities for the School of Engineering. "This is a
major expansion of space that supports the further development
of our research programs and provides adequate space for our
staff organizations," Kang said. "In addition, the
new space for QB3 and CITRIS will help these programs to flourish
and achieve their goals."
Darrell Long, professor of computer science and chair of the
building committee that oversaw the project, will serve as master
of ceremonies at the dedication. He noted that the building
was completed ahead of schedule and under budget. Faculty who
have moved into the new building are generally very happy with
it, he said.
"It's a beautiful building, and the open courtyard provides
a natural gathering place that helps foster a sense of community
for the engineering school," Long said.
The Department of Economics has also moved into the new building,
occupying about 75 percent of the fourth floor. The top floor
of the five-story building will eventually be devoted entirely
to QB3 and CITRIS.
Regis Kelly, executive director of QB3, and James Demmel,
chief scientist and associate director of CITRIS, will both
take part in the dedication ceremonies. Also on hand for the
dedication ceremonies will be Jack Baskin, retired engineer
and philanthropist whose gifts to the campus include the $5
million gift that established the Baskin School of Engineering
and, more recently, a $1 million gift that helped fund construction
of the Baskin Engineering Auditorium.
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