Anyone who has built or remodeled a home knows that it's a painstaking task. But in the end, the results are all worth it, because your vision becomes reality.

The School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Oregon State University has moved into our new "home," the Kelley Engineering Center. Those of us who were involved in creating this building have shared the vision of a home for innovation. It's not just a building. It's a building that's all about people, ideas, and innovation.

In a dramatic departure from most other academic engineering buildings, graduate students and faculty are clustered around shared research lab areas, creating a unique collaborative research environment. With an emphasis on people and collaboration, the building is designed around unique spaces that foster communication and camaraderie. It is equipped with wireless Internet, an e-café, and provides natural light with comfortable seating for people to gather throughout the building. The Center also features a rooftop terrace and alcove meeting spaces where faculty, students, and industry partners can collaborate and share new ideas and discoveries. In the Tektronix TekBots® Lab, faculty and students continue energizing the curriculum with exciting, hands-on Platforms for Learning®.

I'm constantly amazed by the innovative things being done by our faculty and students, from creating transparent circuits to harnessing the ocean's energy to developing new ways to teach our students. I'm certainly proud of our new home. And with our new home in place, we turn our efforts toward securing endowed chairs that will allow us to attract more top people like this talented group of researchers that now contribute to making Oregon State truly a home for innovation.

Terri Fiez
Director of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science