Storied UIUC Engineering Program Tackles Tough Manufacturing Problems

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has a long, distinguished history and tradition in mechanical and applied engineering sciences, and the university will soon celebrate the opening of a long-planned, multi-million-dollar expansion to its Mechanical Science and Engineering (MechSE) building.
UIUC has been home to many notable alumni that excelled as entrepreneurs, creating companies such as Netscape, Advanced Micro Devices, PayPal, Oracle, Lotus Software, YouTube, and Tesla Motors, to name a few.
As part of the face-lift, UIUC’s Transform MEB (Mechanical Engineering Building) program includes a $12 million donation from alumnus Sidney Lu (BSME ‘81), chairman and CEO of computer and smartphone manufacturer Foxconn Interconnect (Taiwan), which builds Apple iPads and iPhones.
The east wing addition will be known as the Lu Center for Learning and Innovation. This project includes a five-story addition to the east of the MEB, a single-story addition to the north, and 66,000 ft² (20,117 m²) of existing space re-imagined, re-engineered, and optimized for education, innovation, and community, according to UIUC.