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June 8, 2023 — A new Research and Development Lab on Cutting-edge Technologies and Fields (the R&D lab) is coming to Becton Hall on the Metropolitan Campus. Funded by a $200,000 grant from the Hearst Foundations, the project is expected to be completed by September 2024.

The R&D lab will be part of the Lee Gildart and Oswald Haase School of Computer Sciences and Engineering (GHSCSE) and will promote and support undergraduate and graduate interdisciplinary research, grantsmanship and externally-funded research projects.

“The R&D lab will foster collaboration between faculty and students throughout the University, creating a community of scholars and learners”

Alfredo Tan, Director of the Gildart Haase School of Computer Sciences and Engineering (GHSCSE)

Faculty will also assist students in the development of intellectual properties. In addition, the facility will help faculty in the development of course lectures, training materials, lab exercises and outreach programs.

The Hearst Foundations have a long-standing relationship with FDU, which has generated several grants over the years, supporting numerous projects. The late alumnus Ronald Doerfler, BA’65, MBA’72 (Ruth), who served the Hearst Corporation as senior vice president for finance and administrator, director and a member of its board of trustees, nurtured the connection.

The National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security has designated FDU as a National Center for Academic Excellence for Cyber Defense. Programs in this area will benefit from the new lab.

The Metropolitan Campus is extremely diverse. About 32% identify as Black, Latinx or Asian students, many of which are first-generation college students. FDU has also been named a Hispanic Serving Institution. The new lab will help transform these students’ lives by empowering them to work at various high-paying jobs in the STEM fields. In labs such as this, students develop a breadth and depth of knowledge in foundational and advanced subjects are educated, trained and otherwise prepared for successful careers.

In addition to existing grants benefitting the school, more will be sought from the National Security Agency, the National Science Foundation and the Department of Defense, plus the corporate world, foundations, the state and professional associations.

The existing 18 state-of-the-art labs at GHSCSE are primarily used for instruction. The new R&D lab will complement those labs with its emphasis on research and development. Supported by the new lab, courses and certificates in design, innovation, product development, entrepreneurship and various cutting-edge technologies will be possible.

“This experiential learning will enable students to be proactive, independent and self-reliant, thereby contributing to their careers in the high-tech industry,” says Tan. “The faculty will further develop as thought leaders, great scholars and inventors.”

“This experiential learning will enable students to be proactive, independent and self-reliant, thereby contributing to their careers in the high-tech industry. The faculty will further develop as thought leaders, great scholars and inventors.”

Alfredo Tan, Director of the Gildart Haase School of Computer Sciences and Engineering (GHSCSE)

For 20 years, FDU has dedicated itself to serving Hispanic students through innovative and engaging academic programming. The Hispanic Center brings together four programs under one roof: Latino Promise, for English speakers with Latino roots and for emergent bilingual students; Puerta al Futuro, for adult learners; HACER (Hispanics Achieving College Education Recognition), for traditional college-aged students; and Avanza, for dually enrolled high-school students.

Irene Oujo, executive director of the Hispanic Center, is a first-generation Latin American whose parents came to the U.S. in the early 1970s. “It was a drastic change in terms of the culture, the language and the geography, moving from a rural area to an urban one,” she says. Her parents prioritized their children’s education. But when it came time to apply to college, she, like so many first-generation students, didn’t know how the process worked. That sense of uncertainty is something she wants students and their families to avoid, and instead to feel at home when they come to campus, both before and after application and acceptance.

FDU has been recognized as a Fulbright Hispanic Serving Institution Leader and is a member of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities. The Latino Promise and HACER programs have been recognized as Examples of Excelencia by the nation’s premier authority on accelerating Latino student success in higher education, Excelencia in Education. “The University’s strategy is to meet learners where they are academically and culturally,” says President Michael Avaltroni. “Along with the University as a whole, the Hispanic Center focuses on providing educational opportunities that create a path for social mobility and on creating communities of belonging for our students.”

We strive to educate as many people as we possibly can, certainly those who are interested in improving their lives, expanding their perspectives, getting college degrees and moving forward.  

IRENE OUJO
Executive Director: Hispanic Center


Learn more about the Students First campaign at SUPPORT.FDU.EDU/STUDENTSFIRST

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