Description of Request

Submitted By: Todd Kaiser, Department Head, Electrical & Computer Engineering

The Electrical & Computer Engineering (ECE) department is requesting approval to convert an underutilized departmental computer lab in Cobleigh 625 into an instructional optics lab. This change is prompted by several factors, including shifts in demand for computer lab resources and the department’s growth plans. During the pandemic, the need for dedicated computer labs has significantly decreased as University Information Technology (UIT) has made software suites accessible for students to download on their personal devices. As a result, the utilization of this departmental computer labs has waned as students have utilized their own computers. The ECE department is currently in the process of hiring a new tenure-track faculty member, and additional lab space is critical to support this new hire and the department’s expanding instructional needs. The proposed conversion involves relocating optical benches and furniture from the existing instructional lab in Barnard Hall 110 to Cobleigh 625. Optics curtains can be used to create the separation when the tables are in use or to split the space for separate needs in each half of the room. This move will create additional space in Barnard Hall 110, which will support future departmental growth. Looking ahead, the department anticipates submitting a request to the Board of Regents to plan a new Optical & Photonic Engineering degree program, which, if approved, is expected to begin in Fall 2026. This expansion may involve hiring additional faculty in the next few years, further emphasizing the need for adequate lab space. The space in Cobleigh 625 is already assigned to the ECE department, and this proposal merely involves a change in the use of the laboratory from a computer lab to an instructional optics lab. Given the current underutilization of the computer lab, the strategic need for additional optics lab space, and the department’s future growth plans, staff recommends approving this change in use for Cobleigh 625.

Resolution

Date: December 6, 2024

Space Management Committee has approved the the change in use of Cobleigh Hall 625 from computer lab to Optics instructional lab.