Issue link: http://georgiancollege.uberflip.com/i/1043306
No, this is not Kevin Costner's 1989 cinema hit Field of Dreams, but students, faculty and industry professionals are hailing Georgian's new Advanced Technology Centre (ATC) as a homerun for the region. On Sept. 4, 2018, students at the college's Barrie Campus entered the new $28-million, 56,000-square-foot facility for the first time – and they were not disappointed. The new centre will provide students and industry partners with access to research, commercialization, incubator, changemaker and fabrication spaces and is home to the first engineering, environmental sustainability and computer science degrees in Central Ontario. The new programs, offered in partnership with Lakehead University, mean that students will graduate with a degree and an advanced diploma in just four years. The centre will provide students with access to emerging technologies in robotics, mechatronics, manufacturing and assembly. For students in Georgian's Environmental programs, the facility will be a living lab, with sustainable building construction and energy efficiency principles incorporated throughout the building. This includes environmental, electronics, fluids, thermodynamics, CAD and GIS lab spaces, as well as the region's only anechoic chamber for measuring sounds or electromagnetic waves emitted by a device. Inside the facility, the Alectra Centre for Research, Innovation and Commercialization will promote innovation and economic growth by providing students, industry, and community partners with a fully-equipped space for research, innovation and commercialization activity. The third floor will house the ABSC Event Space and the Telepresence Room. The centre will be fundamental to the growth of Central Ontario's economy. It will enable greater industrial competitiveness and resiliency through increased access to research, technology and innovative infrastructure, and will become a regional space for industry and academia to develop and incubate products and services, test concepts, and highlight promising research and new products. In addition to federal and provincial contributions, the ATC was developed with a $5 million investment from the County of Simcoe and $5 million from the City of Barrie. IF YOU BUILD IT, THEY WILL COME 25 GEORGIANVIEW 2018 ADvANCED TECHNOLOGY CENTRE