Shared Circuits

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science join together in a new building

At a time when the borders between biology, materials science, computer science, and engineering are becoming more and more seamless, the new Min H. Kao Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Building, now in the blueprint stage, will help the University of Tennessee position itself as a destination for students and faculty interested in cross-disciplinary exploration.

“There will be new opportunities for cooperation,” says Kevin Tomsovic, head of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. “Biomedical applications for electrical engineering, as one example, involve sensors on integrated circuits. So, in the design of healthcare delivery
systems, the lines between disciplines are blurring.”

Tomsovic joined the university from an academic position at Washington State University to lead the process of merging electrical engineering and computer science at UT, a marriage he calls “a challenge but a good thing.”

“And the new building,” he says, “gets us even more focused on what we can do. It lets others in the field know that things are happening at UT and this area of study is valued.”

“It’s a very exciting, challenging time,” says Wayne Davis, associate dean for research and technology in the college.

“We have so many things going for us at one time: the new Min Kao building, new equipment, new faculty, new department leadership, the ORNL connection, the Estabrook renovation, and the new Joint Institute for Advanced Materials being designed for the Cherokee Campus—all creating additional space for both academics and research in the Colleges of Engineering and Arts and Sciences.”

The Min H. Kao Building is named for the founder of Garmin Ltd., a company that has become the world leader in global positioning technology. Kao received his doctorate in electrical engineering at UT in 1977. His $17.5 million gift to the university, with $12.5 million going directly toward
construction of the new building, is one of the largest private gifts of its kind in UT history.

The 150,000-square-foot building is set for completion in mid-2010. It will be developed at a total cost of $37.5 million, with the balance of $25 million coming from the state of Tennessee. It will be the first campus structure built for LEED certification, the U.S. Green Building Council’s recognized standard for achieving a meaningful level of sustainability.

Architectural detailing includes an atrium within the six-floor design, a classroom annex, and an expansive deck with a view of downtown Knoxville. Overall, there will be 60 faculty offices, 210 graduate student offices, 26 laboratories, two large computer labs, and a 3,000-square-foot clean room.

“A clean room of that size is a special feature,” says Davis. “It can be used by both electrical engineers and materials science students—the lab folks in ‘white suits’ involved with the environmentally sensitive work around circuitry design and microelectronics.”

“We have steadily progressed in our rankings with U.S. News and World Report,” Davis says, “and with the Min Kao building, we’ll be able to create even more momentum.”