PSU Magazine Spring 2006

campaign at a glance The new face of engineering Serving more students, increasing research funding, and expanding industry collaborations is the impetus for the Northwest Center for Engineering, Science and Technology. With help from the Building Our Future campaign, the center dedicated a new 130,000 square-foot building in May. Supporters of this shared vision include the Maseeh family; Gordon and Betty Moore; the James F & Marion L. Miller Foundation, the Valium family; and many alumni, faculty, staff, and friends. The new building provides space for nearly 41 laboratories and teaching spaces, doubling previous space dedicated to the Maseeh College of Engineering and Computer Science. Located on Southwest Fourth Avenue between College and Hall streets, the building is a model of sustainable construction. Sophisti– cated computer-controlled systems were incorporated to integrate natural ventilation. Storm water from the roof is collected in the Hydrology Lab for analysis by civil engineering students. Deep-water wells allow geothermal heat exchange to augment the mechanical systems. The buildings design is being submitted for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification. The $53 million project also involved renovations in the adjacent 125,000-square-foot Fourth Avenue Building. The two buildings con– nect through their lower levels, as does the existing 1900 Building, owned by the city of Portland. A three-dimensional sculpture stands in the entry courtyard to the new building. The piece, titled "Tecotosh" by its creator, Ed Carpenter, is a graphic illustration of the four basic engineering principles: tension, compression, torsion, and sheer. 10 P U MAGAZINE SPRING 2006 The impact of philanthropy Contributions to Building Our Future pro– vide growing numbers of Portland State students with the resources they need for success, inside and outside of the class– room. Annual gifts to the Fund for PSU-$2 .5 million since the campaign began-assist promising students, advance faculty excellence, and kick-start innovative and exciting new programs. This crucial support comes from thou– sands of alumni and friends who belong to the President's Circle and make gifts to Portland State's annual fund . Proceeds from the Simon Benson Awards Dinner also benefit the Fund for PSU . The annual event honors Oregon's contemporary pio– neers of philanthropy and features distin– guished keynote speakers such as Colin Powell, Mario Cuomo, Bob Dole, Rudolph Giuliani, Madeline Albright, Walter Cronkite, and Queen Noor of Jordan. Starting at top: the 2006 Simon Benson Awards dinner honored Ken and Marta Thrasher, featured speaker Queen Noor of Jordan, and honored Barbara and Gary Ames (seen with an Ames business scholar).