Building dedication draws a crowd

The Jacobs School’s new Structural and Materials EngineeringBuilding was packed to the rafters Sept. 14 for the official dedication ceremony.  Science fiction author and UC San Diego alumnus David Brin ('81) read an essay written for the occasion titled, "The New Modernism: Blending Science, Engineering, Art and the Human Imagination." 

This building will thrive because its ‘cells’ are leaky,” Brin said. “Its structure is malleable and adaptable to changing needs, deliberately almost biological. Not a rigid expression of one architect’s ego, but a willing servant to many more generations of pioneers, who will work within these walls. And who will want to move some of the walls, to make this structure truly theirs.

Chancellor Pradeep Khosla and Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher UC San Diego/Alan Decker

Joan and Irwin Jacobs  UC San Diego/Alan Decker

Nathan Fletcher and Dean Frieder Seible  UC San Diego/Alan Decker

Dean Seible welcomes the crowd.  UC San Diego/Alan Decker

Visitors touring the Visual Arts Gallery inaugural exhibit, NanoMacroMega  UC San Diego/Alan Decker

Structural and Materials Engineering Building   UC San Diego/Alan Decker

 The new building was also featured in a front page story in the UT San Diego, and online following the event, which was attended by UC San Diego Chancellor Pradeep Khosla, State Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher, and Irwin Jacobs, Qualcomm's founding chairman and CEO emeritus. The new building has attracted support from Cymer, a San Diego company co-founded by UC San Diego alumni, Dr. Bob Akins (‘74, ‘77, ‘83) and Dr. Richard Sandstrom (‘72, ‘76, ‘79). Enabling the commercialization of today’s advanced consumer electronics devices, Cymer is a leading developer of light sources used by chipmakers worldwide. Cymer’s generous gift is being used to outfit the building, including the three-story Cymer Conference Center, which will cultivate a hub for industry collaboration and innovation.

L-R Cymer's Edward Brown, Richard Sandstrom, Bob Akins and Frieder Seible, dean of the Jacobs School of Engineering. UC San Diego/Alan Decker