Gerald M. Kline Family Foundation Provides New Technology Center
A new collection of industrial-grade 3D printers at Long Beach State University will help students and faculty shape the futures of art, science, and engineering.
“Now, you are part of the beginning of the fourth industrial revolution,” Christiane Beyer, associate professor in the Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, said during a Thursday gathering to celebrate the arrival of the new technology to the campus.
Digitally-connected devices that compose the Internet of Things, autonomous vehicles and 3D printers are among the technologies of the fourth industrial revolution, she said.
The Gerald M. Kline Innovation Space, funded by a donation from the Gerald M. Kline Family Foundation and Student Excellence Fees, is housed within the University Library. Available technology includes 3D printers capable of processing information contained within digital design files to form, layer by layer, objects composed of plastics, carbon fiber, and other materials.
"This is the future," University Library Dean Roman Kochan said.
The Innovation Space also houses a laser-cutting system, and a 3D Printer capable of forming objects composed of metal is expected to arrive in the near future.
More than 200 people, including campus President Jane Close Conoley and other leaders, attended Thursday’s celebration.
“I am so delighted to see this as yet another example of our library continually reinventing itself to better serve our students and our faculty,” Conoley said.
To make a contribution or to learn more about The Gerald M. Kline Innovation Space, please contact Mary Ann Solic.
