WSU breaks ground for Marvin I. Danto Engineering Development Center

Wayne State University will break ground Wednesday, May 2, on a $27.3 million engineering facility symbolizing the promise of a state economy based on sustainable energy technology, health care and biotech innovation and other high tech industries.

The Marvin I. Danto Engineering Development Center (EDC), a three-story structure, will adjoin the existing main College of Engineering building at Wayne State's Detroit campus. Currently, the College of Engineering $15 million annual expenditures for research and development, including the Alternative Energy Technology program, are producing meaningful applications, spin-off companies and jobs.

"The Engineering Development Center represents a major advancement in the university's strategic plan by providing a facility that will foster significant research and technology opportunities," said Wayne State University President Irvin D. Reid. "It will boost our stature as a premier research university while producing a ripple effect of economic development throughout the region and state."

In addition, the Danto EDC will offer an expanded "clean room" that local companies can use for R&D testing. Currently, the Delphi Corporation utilizes WSU's existing College of Engineering clean room for this purpose.

Construction on the facility will be complete by fall 2008. Incorporating sustainable energy design features, the EDC's design includes a flexible modular layout and an advanced infrastructure to facilitate growth in critical research areas, provides interface space with the university's technology park, TechTown, and enables students to engage in innovative research as an integral part of their education experience.

Financing for the new EDC is made possible from $15 million in state appropriations, a $3 million donation by retired Troy businessman and former engineering student Marvin I. Danto, and $3.2 million received so far in other private gifts.

"I see the people of Michigan as the direct beneficiary of this new engineering center," said Danto, whose name will be on the new building in recognition of his generosity. "I see this endeavor helping to create alternative fuels and more efficient automobile engines in America with subsequent growth in industries, new jobs and a sustainable society."

In accordance with the university's role as an environmentally-responsible institution, the project has been registered with the U.S. Green Building Council, and energy efficient features incorporated into the overall design of the building. These include sophisticated building automation controls to manage the HFAC systems. A significant effort will also go into recycling construction waste and using materials that reduce off-gassing.

The center will create a unique environment for fostering research concepts from lab to development to commercialization, as well as for students. "Our vision keeps our graduates on the leading edge of the workforce in Michigan and the world, and engenders an entrepreneurial attitude," said Ralph Kummler, dean of the college. "We are preparing a workforce that understands the leading role of technology, appreciates diversity, can effectively work in multicultural environments, and fully understands the global forces that move companies to change and profitability."

The facility will be home to a handful of high-priority research and development programs:

• Smart Sensors and Integrated Microsystems (SSIM): The new SSIM laboratory will create opportunities for students to learn about the work with the next revolution in micro technology. Among the numerous prototypes SSIM is developing are portable devices to instantly detect pathogens in the air and water, and to perform virtual biopsies in the operating room.

• Alternative Energy Technology: The Advanced Propulsion Laboratory will provide resources using fuel cells and other emerging sustainable technologies to power homes, business and vehicles. The Center for Automotive Research, together with the WSU National Biofuels Energy Lab at NextEnergy, is working to identify the best and most efficient biofuel formula to develop a national "B20" standard. They expect to increase the accepted amount of biomass in the diesel blend from 5 to 20 percent.

• Chemical Engineering and Materials Science: Faculty and students will engage in nanotechnology and surface science research in this new laboratory. Faculty have already brought national recognition to the university through their research in biomaterials, pharmaceuticals and drug delivery, polymers, green chemistry, computational simulation, tissue engineering and waste minimization.

• Student Projects: A hallmark of the college is the high level of involvement of students in hands-on engineering projects. This first floor student automotive laboratory will become the proving ground for future participants in national collegiate student events such as the Ethanol Vehicle Challenge, Clean Air Car Race, Formula SAE, Mini Baja Race and Human - Powered Vehicle Race.

Danto is chairman and CEO of Danto Investment Company in Troy, Mich. He is founder and owner of the Michigan Design Center in Troy, and developer, founder and former owner of the Design Center of the Americas in Dania Beach, Fla., the largest and most successful design center in America. He was former CEO and chairman of Englanders, a fine furniture and interior design chain in Michigan and Florida. And, he was president of the National Home Furnishings Association, a 16,000 store organization representing the retail furnishings industry in Washington D.C.

Danto and his wife Betty reside in Bloomfield Hills.