The Jonsson Engineering Center (often simply referred to as the JEC), is home to the School of Engineering at
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in
Troy
Troy ( el, Τροία and Latin: Troia, Hittite: 𒋫𒊒𒄿𒊭 ''Truwiša'') or Ilion ( el, Ίλιον and Latin: Ilium, Hittite: 𒃾𒇻𒊭 ''Wiluša'') was an ancient city located at Hisarlik in present-day Turkey, south-west of Ç ...
,
New York. It is named for
J. Erik Jonsson and was dedicated on 7 October 1977.
Background on J. Erik Jonsson
J. Erik Jonsson graduated from Rensselaer in 1922. He was a co-founder of
Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) is an American technology company headquartered in Dallas, Texas, that designs and manufactures semiconductors and various integrated circuits, which it sells to electronics designers and manufacturers globa ...
, co-founder of The
University of Texas at Dallas
The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD or UT Dallas) is a public research university in Richardson, Texas. It is one of the largest public universities in the Dallas area and the northernmost institution of the University of Texas system. It w ...
, former
mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...
of
Dallas, TX
Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County wi ...
, and one of Rensselaer's most generous benefactors. The Jonsson-Rowland Science Center, for which he provided funding, opened on the Rensselaer campus in 1961. It shares his name with that of
Henry A. Rowland, Class of 1870, physicist and first president of the
American Physical Society Jonsson provided $2,600,000 toward the construction of the Jonsson Engineering Center
Planning
In February 1974 plans for a new engineering center were made public. An analysis of the Russell Sage Laboratory, Troy Building and Ricketts Building was made by the firm of Levatich, Miller & Hoffman (Peter S. Levatich, Class of 1955). They recommended two options:
* demolish the Troy Building and construct a new building in its place
* demolish the Troy Building and link the Russell Sage Laboratory and the Ricketts Building together
In the spring of 1974, the first option was approved and the Troy Building was scheduled for demolition during the summer.
In June 1974, the Board of Trustees considered the situation and decided to build a brand new building between the
Greene Building, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Greene Building and the Communication Center, which is now known as the Darrin Communications Center.
In the Fall of 1974, a model of the new seven story engineering center was presented
On 4 March 1975, the initial cost estimate for the building was $11,808,100. Jonsson provided $2,600,000 and the New York State Dormitory Fund provided some funds. A thirty year bond was taken to cover most of the cost, which resulted in annual payments by Rensselaer of $202,000
The final cost of the building was $17,800,00
Construction
A unique ground breaking ceremony took place on April 18, 1975. An underground explosion on the nearby '86 field was triggered by a long distance phone call placed by Margaret Jonsson, J. Erik Jonsson's wife, from Dallas, Texas
Construction for the building progressed smoothly and was completed on schedule in the fall of 1977. During construction, the '86 Field was referred to as the 43 Field'' since one-half of it was used as a staging area. Formal dedication of the Jonsson Engineering Center took place on October 7, 1977
Facilities
Each floor of the building is dedicated to a different discipline of engineering and contains many major research facilities and a large number of academic classrooms. The ground floor contains classrooms, administrative offices and a lounge. The basement contains several laboratories, including the
mechatronics
Mechatronics engineering also called mechatronics, is an interdisciplinary branch of engineering that focuses on the integration of mechanical, electrical and electronic engineering systems, and also includes a combination of robotics, electronics, ...
lab and the geotechnical centrifuge research center. The O.T. Swanson Multidisciplinary Design Laboratory in the former high bay area of the JEC provides undergraduate students from multiple engineering disciplines, management, humanities, architecture, and science with a facility and the resources to work together on challenging, real-world problems
One of RPI's sub-sonic wind tunnels is also located in the JEC.
External links
RPI School of EngineeringRPI Archives.
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Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Buildings and structures in Troy, New York