In Case's new circuitry lab, undergraduate engineering students tinker with wires and electricity using equipment that's probably more advanced than most big companies have. While the main lab functions as a classroom, the broader goal of the new facility is to foster innovation and creativity. Larry Sears, the alumnus whose $6 million gift funded the renovation, says the key to growing Northeast Ohio is transforming college students into entrepreneurs.
Larry Sears: It's ridiculous to think that you're going to invite people to come here with lower taxes or better weather or better sports teams or anything like that. You have to get them when they're 21, 22, 23, 24.
To that end, the facility is equipped with small high-tech labs to encourage outside projects and two staff members dedicated to offering advice. The new facility also provides a electrical components store, storage space for old or unused parts and a system for lending out expensive equipment. Lisa Ann Pinkerton, 90.3.