Embry-Riddle Community Tours MicaPlex in Research Park
Mary van Buren
Mary van Buren
/
Mary van Buren
Mar 22, 2017, 1:37 PM
Hundreds of faculty, staff, and students streamed through Embry-Riddle’s MicaPlex on Monday, taking a first look at the 50,000-square-foot building, which is near completion. The preview included 10 labs that will support research in engineering, aerospace, and aviation as well as offices, conference rooms, workshops, and 10,000 square feet of flex lease space.
Two freshmen, Devon Vail and Peter Demetres, toured the building and took special notice of the Robotics & Autonomous Systems Lab. “Next fall we’re hoping to use this lab to develop a completely autonomous underwater vehicle,” Vail said. “At this stage we’re seeking funding through IGNITE and other internal Embry-Riddle sources.” Vail is majoring in Mechanical Engineering with the Robotic Systems track, while Demetres is majoring in Aerospace Engineering and Aviation Maintenance Science.
The interior of the building will be completed in phases over the next year, and a second building soon to be started will house one of the largest and the most technologically advanced subsonic wind tunnels at any university in the United States.”
Located in the Embry-Riddle Research Park in Daytona Beach and serving as its cornerstone, the John Mica Engineering and Aerospace Innovation Complex (MicaPlex) will bring together Embry-Riddle faculty and students at all levels (undergraduate to doctoral) and many disciplines to collaborate with businesses in developing and refining new technologies and products to market. The building includes incubator facilities that will support startup and early-stage companies in the research and development intensive phase of their growth process.