Renovation of Research Facilities at the College of Engineering, University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez

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*** 9415119 Serrano The University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez is the recipient of funds from the Academic Research Infrastructure Program for the renovation of engineering research laboratories. The College of Engineering, being the largest in Puerto Rico, attracts the best students on the island. Increased enrollments in the various graduate programs in engineering have prompted the institution to re-evaluate their infrastructual requirements, including the physical facilities where research and research training activities are conducted. Currently the Mayaguez campus trains approximately 11,000 students including 600 graduate and 4,000 undergraduate engineering students mostly of Hispanic ethnicity. Over twenty percent are female students. Recognizing the need for the renovation, the University and the Academic Research Infrastructure Program will jointly provide the resources to see the improvements to fruition. The following six laboratories will be renovated: Heterogeneous Catalysis and Electrochemistry, Biochemical Engineering, Anemometry, System Dynamics and Control, Fatigue and Fracture, and Material Science. Renovations will involve upgrading temperature and humidity control and air conditioning systems, installing fume hoods, laboratory benches and cabinets, and equipping labs with proper safety mechanisms. The remodeled facilities will sustain the current growth trend in graduate programs and house modern instruments needed to pursue advanced training in engineering. The renovation will immediately have an impact on the Department of Chemical Engineering as it establishes a Ph.D. program. New perspectives for the future of chemical and mechanical engineering will occur by the renewed experimental scientific capabilities the renovated facilities will provide. Collaborative interactions within various departments will be promoted as well as with other universities and national laboratories. With the prolific promise of academic achievement, the project will enhance research programs that will draw prospective undergraduate and graduate students from Puerto Rico, the Caribbean, and South America. ***