Not yet 20 years old, Polytechnic campus is successful prototype for living laboratory
It's hard to believe the Polytechnic campus is less than 20 years old. Several years after it opened its doors in 1996 to about a thousand students seeking a technical education, the campus began its meteoric rise to becoming a central player in boosting the economic, social and cultural vitality of the East Valley.
Today, the campus is home to more than 11,000 students, close to 3,000 photovoltaic solar panels, the No. 1 performing charter high school in Arizona and one of the largest algae testbed facilities in the world.
With a total research portfolio of $22 million, the Arizona Center for Algae Technology and Innovation serves as a hub for research, testing and commercialization of algae-based products, as well as a learning center for the next generation of scientists and engineers.
With alternative energy education at the core of the campus, it's no wonder that in 2011 the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) chose the ASU's Polytechnic School to lead worldwide development and implementation of a $10 million clean-energy training program.
The sounds of innovation permeate the campus, awash with technical studios, testing facilities, workshops and labs. The 3D Data Exploitation & Analysis Lab (I3DEA) uses geometric modeling, graphics and processing to seek real-world solutions, such as 3-D face authentication, software visualization for first responders and 3-D modeling for analysis and archiving.
Located at the ASU Chandler Innovation Center, TechShop Chandler is a membership-based DIY workshop and fabrication studio that provides inventors and hobbyists alike with the workspace, community and tools they need to make just about anything.
The majority of space in the Interdisciplinary Science and Technology Building 3 (ISTB3) is devoted to research laboratories. However, the LEED gold-certified structure also serves as office space for the several award-winning faculty – many of them experts in their fields – who call Polytechnic their home campus.
Speaking of home, the newly built Century Hall is a three-story living area featuring a community environment where students are brought together through similar academic interests and majors. Century Hall residents have access to academic resources and student services outside the classroom.
When hunger strikes, the brand new Citrus Dining Pavilion offers a 350-student dining room, private dining area, open cooking area, small grocery store and a cafe. Completed in 2012, the building is LEED certified (silver).
Not many students can say they were involved in the initial design of a LEED gold-certified university facility. Students at the Polytechnic campus not only helped design the building, but they help manage it too – all part of the campus-based "living laboratory" learning model. Completed in 2013, the ASU Polytechnic Campus Sun Devil Fitness Complex is a 72,181-square-foot facility featuring the usual fitness areas, gyms and basketball courts, along with an outdoor pool, bike co-op, and campus health and wellness center.
Arizona's abundant sunshine feeds the campus' four solar systems comprised of 2,880 photovoltaic solar panels; 8,640 concentrated photovoltaic modules at the SunPower Solar Farm; and 384 evacuated tubes for the solar thermal system installed on the Sun Devil Fitness Complex. Together, the systems produce nearly 32 percent of the campus’ energy during daytime peak load.
A relatively new partnership with General Dynamics is helping to assess and propose solutions to some of the most pressing border and homeland security challenges.
Here, campus learning is all-ages. The elementary school, middle school and high school belonging to ASU Preparatory Academy Polytechnic are all "A" grade schools, continuing to exceed academic expectations, according to the Arizona Department of Education. And ASU Preparatory Academy Polytechnic High School is the No. 1 performing charter high school in Arizona.
Learn more about the growth and innovation that is taking place at ASU's Polytechnic campus.