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Ground broken for OSU-Tulsa research site |
| APRIL MARCISZEWSKI World Staff Writer |
| 12/15/2004 |
| Tulsa World (Final Home Edition), Page A1 of News |
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When Karl Reid imagines a new red brick building with green metal roofing, he thinks of scientists
working in electronics, biomedicine and natural gas, and inventing products that can spawn
businesses and invig orate the Tulsa economy.
Reid grasped an orange-handled shovel and dug into black soil and orange sand for the
groundbreaking of the Advanced Technology Research Center on the Oklahoma State University-
Tulsa campus on Tuesday.
"Our real dream here is that we will make a difference in the vitality of Tulsa and we'll do it through
spin-off companies," said Reid, dean of the College of Engineering, Architectural and Technology at
OSU.
When the building is completed in November 2006, it will have room for 25 faculty members, 40
graduate students and five to 10 visiting professors.
There, they will research advanced materials, including biomaterials, biomedical materials, natural
gas-based materials, electronic materials and nanotechnology (technology on the atomic or
molecular scale).
The research will help the aerospace, oil and gas, and electronics industries in the Tulsa area, and it
will complement the research done at the Advanced Technology Research Center on OSU's
Stillwater campus, Reid said.
The campus' new capabilities will allow for partnerships in the business community, said Michael
Johnson, an OSU-Tulsa trustee and a senior vice president for Williams Cos. Inc.
For example, OSU-Tulsa faculty could research problems that companies encounter, said OSU-Tulsa
President Gary Trennepohl.
The center could also help recruit companies to the Tulsa area, Johnson said.
Mayor Bill LaFortune lauded OSU for bringing new jobs and innovation to Tulsa.
Thirty million dollars from Vision 2025 will pay for the first and larger phase of the center.
Most of Phase I, at 110,000 square feet, is laboratory space, plus about 20 offices, while Phase II,
at 45,000 square feet, will include more classrooms and computer labs. A proposed higher
education bond issue, which the Legislature could consider next year, could provide the $15 million
for the second phase, Trennepohl said.
Reid expects Dewberry Design Group Inc. to finish the architectural plans by the beginning of 2005.
Flintco will start construction on Phase I in the spring.
OSU-Tulsa's engineering program has about 380 undergraduate and graduate engineering students,
Trennepohl said, and he expects that number to rise when the new facility opens. The university
also plans to hire more faculty and staff.
The campus will probably add several degree programs when it gains the new research capabilities,
he said.
The opportunities provided by the research center will give OSU graduates advantages in the marketplace, Johnson said.
"It's going to advance our ability to provide the highest quality learning experience for our
students," Johnson said. |
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April Marciszewski 581-8475
april.marciszewski@tulsaworld.com |
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| RELATED PHOTOS & GRAPHICS |
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| Gary Trennepohl, president of Oklahoma State University-Tulsa, speaks at a
groundbreaking ceremony for the Advanced Technology Research Center on Tuesday. DAVID CRENSHAW / Tulsa World |
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