A $100,000 gift from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology alumni of Caterpillar Inc. and the Caterpillar Foundation is allowing students to expand their knowledge of electronic circuits, electrical engineering and computer engineering through a new studio-style laboratory classroom.

The educational work space was dedicated in Moench Hall on Oct. 3 by Rose-Hulman President Samuel Hulbert and John Winters (Mech. Eng., ’49), retired vice president and general manager of Caterpillar. Several Rose-Hulman alumni have raised money which, together with a grant from the National Science Foundation, has enabled Rose-Hulman to construct and equip the new laboratory classroom.

The studio format puts the regular classroom setting and a laboratory environment in the same work space. It allows students to learn technical content while gaining experience in teamwork and communication; better utilizes educational resources; and has been found to be effective in teaching of entry-level courses.

The classroom gives students the opportunity to conduct a variety of experiments in small steps that can be repeated and reinforced throughout the length of a course, according to Ed Wheeler, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering. He joined colleague Cliff Grigg in helping develop the laboratory.

Both professors felt that one reason for lack of student motivation in courses was the student’s inability to relate the material presented in class to real-world applications. The conventional solution to this problem was to add a laboratory component to the course. However, conducting the lab in a different place and at a different time from the classroom theory was the principal cause of a disruption of the educational process, according to Wheeler.

Rose-Hulman now has a laboratory classroom that is 95 percent utilized, instead of the previous 25 percent. The educational work space has been so successful that Rose-Hulman’s Electrical and Computer Engineering Department is looking to duplicate the studio lab setup in other classrooms.