A new lounge for electrical and computer engineering students will officially open on Tuesday, Sept. 25 at 10 a.m. in the Engineering Sciences building (ENS). University Co-op president George Mitchell, Cockrell School of Engineering Dean Ben Streetman, and Electrical and Computer Engineering Department Chairman Tony Ambler will attend a Co-op Appreciation ceremony at the front entrance of ENS to acknowledge the Co-op’s $130,000 donation to the project. Refreshments will be served.
The recently-completed student lounge on the 7th floor features a new shaded outside terrace, a completely remodeled and furnished interior area, and Ethernet ports and wireless access for students. Local artist and UT alumna, Leigh Watson, painted four murals of archetypical Austin scenes in the lounge as well.
“I wanted to give students a relaxing and cool place to hang out and I hope we succeeded,” says Gonzalo Zapata of the Cockrell School of Engineering, who handled the project management. Zapata designed the space, handled the purchasing, installation and most of the labor involved.
The lounge completes the second and final phase of the student community-building improvements to the ENS building funded by the University Co-op. The first project, Ohms, a coffee bar at the front entrance of ENS, opened in December 2006.
