On September 29, 2022, the official opening and dedication of the School of Engineering’s Bruce and Phyllis Nicholas Engineering Student Projects Studio was marked by a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by Diego Mazariego, a representative from the office of New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez, visitors from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Rutgers leaders, alumni supporters, faculty, and students.
“This is an important and happy day for us as we continue to reshape and enhance engineering’s presence on the Busch campus and celebrate this fantastic new building,” remarked School of Engineering interim dean Alberto Cuitiño.
The $7 million Studio was made possible thanks to a naming gift from Bruce Nicholas ENG’49 and his wife Phyllis, whose generous support of Rutgers University and the School of Engineering over the past 50 years has made a lasting impact on generations of students.
The Nicholas family have been long-term Rutgers benefactors for nearly a century. On Douglass campus, Nicholas Hall was named for Bruce Nicholas’s aunt, Elisabeth Ridgely Nicholas, an honorary member of the Douglass College Class of 1924.
His father, W. Cary Nicholas, named the Douglass Campus’ Nicholas Music Center in memory of his wife Marjorie Bruce Nicholas. In 2017, Bruce and Phyllis Nicholas supported the renovation of that center with a generous gift.
“As an alumnus of the School of Engineering, Mr. Nicholas recognizes the value this new facility brings to our students and in helping us continue to recruit the best and the brightest from around the country,” Cuitiño commented at the opening event.
Rutgers’ First Net Zero Building
As the university’s first net zero building, the Nicholas Studio embodies Rutgers’ deep commitment to sustainability.
While students from all engineering fields will find opportunities for hands-on learning, interdisciplinary collaboration, its spacious work areas, meeting spaces and fully outfitted and equipped bays will enable the Rutgers Formula Racing (RFR) and Rutgers Solar Car (RSC) student teams to design and build vehicles and prepare for intercollegiate competitions.
“RFR now has a beautiful new home where we can come together as a community and excel as engineers,” RFR project manager and mechanical and aerospace engineering student Paul Del Vechio predicted at the ribbon cutting.
A Launchpad for Innovation – and Industry Collaboration
At the event, Rutgers Chancellor-Provost Francine Conway described the Studio as “a launchpad for innovative project development that will position our students to compete with those from peer universities on the national stage.”
“It will create an environment that fosters teamwork, originality, and the development of problem-solving and management skills,” she added. “And it will create new opportunities for students to collaborate with industry on real-world technological challenges.”
RSC project manager and industrial and systems engineering student Sri Leela Sattenapalli greatly anticipated the completion of the Nicholas Studio. “As someone who was there when we were working out of a campus basement, we are grateful and excited to utilize this new space to create our brand-new solar car – and see where the future takes us,” he said at the opening.
