January 09 , 2007

Contact:
Barbra Gonzalez
954-262-5354

Emil Buehler Research Center for Engineering, Science, and Mathematics To Be Established at NSU’s Alvin Sherman Library

$1.78 Million Center to Focus on Technology Education Relating To
 Aerospace Research

Fort Lauderdale - Davie, Fla.  -- January 9, 2007 - -Nova Southeastern University (NSU) today announced a gift of $1.78 million from The Emil Buehler Perpetual Trust.  Funds from the donation will be used to establish the Emil Buehler Research Center for Engineering, Science, and Mathematics at the Alvin Sherman Library, Research and Information Technology Center on the main campus of NSU.

The 10,000 square-foot center will be designed to allow for the creation of space-based projects and to advance teacher education and retention in the critical fields of aerospace, mathematics, science, technology and engineering.  Researchers and engineers using this facility will be able to test and fly microgravity payloads, sounding rockets, low-gravity aircraft and orbital re-entry vehicles. Working closely with space organizations, the Center will also be able to identify worthwhile scientific opportunities that may be studied, designed and fabricated within this state-of-the-art facility.

“Our goal is to create an interdisciplinary facility that will inspire learners to continue their educational endeavors in the fields of scientific education -- aviation science, mathematics, engineering, earth science, physics, and other fields related to math, science and technology,” said George Weaver, a trustee of The Emil Buehler Perpetual Trust.  “Using this facility, we hope to provide innovative introductions to the sciences that spark an interest in scientific, mathematical, and technological ideas for both faculty and students at every level.”

Professors at NSU’s Fischler School of Education and Human Services (FSEHS), the largest school of education in the nation, will be instrumental in the development of new courses to provide teachers with authentic knowledge regarding space education, science and mathematics using a variety of instructional delivery methods. FSEHS will introduce a new Masters of Science with specializations in engineering, math, science and technology education using these facilities to make the university a nationwide leader in teaching educators how to teach in these disciplines.

“We are very proud to house the new Emil Buehler Research Center for Engineering, Science and Mathematics, and offer it as a resource to the entire community,” said NSU President Ray Ferrero, Jr., J.D. “In conjunction with the work we are already doing in a variety of different research fields, this Center will help to create Florida’s the next generation of explorers and ensure that we have a pipeline of highly qualified professionals to lead our state’s growing science economy in the future.”

NSU’s Graduate School of Computer and Information Sciences, a National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education, will also use the facility to research and design new ways of using computers in space-based environments to reduce the vulnerability of our national information infrastructure. 

All of the equipment in the five labs at the Center will be connected to the Florida LambdaRail, a consortium of higher education institutions that have cooperated to build a state-wide high-bandwidth research and education network. This high speed connection will allow researchers throughout the state and beyond to access the equipment located at the Center through a secure, broad-banded high speed fiber optic cable.