Arizona State University (ASU) celebrated the grand opening of its new Interdisciplinary Science and Technology Building 12 (ISTB12) on Friday at the Polytechnic campus in Mesa. The facility, spanning 173,000 gross square feet over three floors, is designed to prepare students for future careers in advanced manufacturing and engineering.
Binil Starly, who joined ASU as director of the School of Manufacturing Systems and Networks in July 2022, said the university’s focus on manufacturing education set it apart from other institutions. “How many universities even think about bringing manufacturing front and center as a school, and then investing in faculty and physical infrastructure to back that up? Usually, at other universities, manufacturing is always part of either mechanical engineering or industrial engineering. But ASU decided to give it prominence,” Starly said.
The ribbon-cutting event was attended by industry leaders, community members, faculty, staff and students. ASU President Michael Crow emphasized the university’s role in fostering innovation through partnerships. “Here in Arizona, we have ways in which we have constructed whole new types of institutions, like this university, whole new ways of working, new ways to partner, new ways to come together… We’re going to work with the city of Mesa. We’re going to work with the leadership of the state of Arizona. We’re going to work with Honeywell and other companies. We’re going to build this thing. We’re going to attract talent from all over the world, and we’re going to bring it together.”
Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs recognized ASU’s contribution to developing advanced manufacturing in the state. “It’s because of this world-class university and its commitment to making sure that Arizona is at the forefront of this new era,” Hobbs said. “Your efforts have contributed to research and development, workforce training and job creation. Today marks more than the opening of a building. It is a milestone in our leadership as a hub of advanced manufacturing technology and innovation.”
ISTB12 will serve as a key part of ASU’s Polytechnic Innovation Zone—one among nine such zones managed or partnered by ASU—aimed at encouraging collaboration between private companies, faculty, students and research infrastructure for economic development.
Morgan Olsen, executive vice president at ASU, highlighted that approximately 330 acres are dedicated for industry collaboration within the Polytechnic Innovation Zone. “This is a huge opportunity for all of us in the state of Arizona,” Olsen said. “Our Innovation Zones offer some really great benefits to businesses who decide to co-locate… All of that helps create an environment of supportive innovation and growth.”
The building houses specialized labs focusing on additive manufacturing; robotics for smart manufacturing; industry automation; cyber-manufacturing; semiconductor production; energy sector systems; battery technology; clean energy solutions; material testing; micro-assembly; packaging automation; robotics; autonomous systems; metal 3D printing; and more.
Nancy Gonzales, executive vice president and provost at ASU explained ISTB12’s educational approach: “They might not think college is for them… Maybe that young person watches a lot of videos about how things work… This is the place where your students’ curiosity meets the world of the possible.”
Starly noted ISTB12 represents integration between AI learning, smart automation and robotics: “The future of manufacturing is going to be heavily digital, heavily automated… ISTB12 is a representation of the connection between the manufacturing processes, AI learning, smart automation and smart robotics that represent the future of manufacturing.”
Kyle Squires, dean at Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering added: “Today nearly 33,000 students call Fulton home… It’s the new home for our School of Manufacturing Systems and Networks—which is the nation’s first engineering school dedicated to defining that future and what manufacturing will be.”
ASU remains unique nationally as it offers bachelor’s through PhD degrees specifically in manufacturing engineering.
“We’re not training students for any particular sector,” Starly said. “We try to pair general manufacturing knowledge with transferable skills catered to aerospace or microelectronics industries… What we’re training students for are common core skill sets that will translate to varied manufacturing processes.”
He continued: “This is why ASU is No. 1 in innovation. It’s not just language or what we put on our banners. We’re designing and actually doing things to make that happen.”
ASU has been named number one in innovation for eight consecutive years by U.S News & World Report according to https://news.asu.edu/20220911-university-news-asu-no-1-innovation-us-news-world-report-eighth-year?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=asu&utm_campaign=ASURankings&utm_term=USNWR.
In addition to internal developments like ISTB12’s advanced labs supporting fields such as battery technology or autonomous vehicles research (including hands-on student projects), ASU also partners with local organizations such as Argos Vision—a tech startup developing ‘smart’ traffic cameras—to improve safety around Phoenix via pilot programs (https://www.phoenix.gov/newsroom/street-transportation/2420).
ISTB12 also includes spaces intended for cross-disciplinary use by groups including high school robotics teams from ASU Prep Academy or deans from health-related colleges seeking intersections between healthcare delivery systems design/manufacturing practice.
Labs within ISTB12 include facilities focused on energy storage advancements impacting electric vehicles/grid storage systems; plug-and-play clean energy systems developed with utilities partners; hybrid/multi-material industrial robots integrating AI/digital twin systems used across aerospace/nuclear/medical devices sectors plus workforce development initiatives using full-size vehicle platforms for validation/testing/training purposes.
Other resources include dedicated metal 3D-printing capabilities advancing aerospace/medical applications through regional partnerships while providing one-of-a-kind cleanroom access supporting national semiconductor initiatives (such as NATCAST). There are also facilities devoted specifically toward micro-assembly/packaging processes essential for bridging wafer fabrication into functional computing/sensing/communications systems.
