Competitive engineering student teams and College of Engineering faculty and staff welcomed more than 150 families into the William A. Demmer Engineering Center on Sept. 12 during MSU’s Family Weekend. Students on the MSU Baja Racing, Formula One Racing, Solar Racing, Rocketry and StarX teams gave families a first-hand look at how they utilize the 10,000-square-foot facility to reach ambitious goals and prepare for careers loaded with hands-on opportunities.
“What a wonderful experience to welcome families and showcase our students and the impact this facility has had on their learning and development,” said John Papapolymerou, interim dean of the College of Engineering. “There are countless examples of engineering excellence all around us today, and we feel very confident that the next generation of Spartan engineers and computer scientists will accomplish great things.”
The generosity of longtime MSU supporters Bill and Linda Demmer brought the $4 million facility to life in 2023. The facility serves as a hub for student teams focused on learning from each other by building community and developing valuable job skills while they specialize in everything from electric, solar and off-road racing to human-powered vehicles and mobility-inspired exoskeletons.
The facility offers student teams full access to a flexible workspace where walls and barriers are kept to a minimum, fostering a collaborative atmosphere among the teams. A design center inside the facility features a bank of computers, a variety of fabrication equipment, meeting space, storage space and even fly zones for rockets and drones.
During the tours, Wiley Smith, president of the MSU Rocketry Team, explained to families how their rocket collects and measures a subatomic particle as it travels and how they worked with experts in the MSU Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) to refine their approach and improve outcomes.
“I recently secured my internship at NASA through this club, along with an internship at a local manufacturer. They loved seeing this club on my resume,” Wiley continued. “Everyone's so focused on competition and getting the project done, but at the end of the day, the main goal is to get a job.”
Kristen Welch, the mother of a sophomore at MSU, attended Family Weekend for the second year in a row. She was looking for information that might inspire her daughter to transfer into engineering and was happy to see tours of the William A. Demmer Engineering Center added as an option this year. “I think it's really good to promote degrees in STEM. I'm happy to be here and learning more about engineering programs at Michigan State. So fantastic.”
Student groups working at the facility treat their organizations like small businesses. They develop business and competition strategies, manage budgets, cultivate corporate sponsor relationships, and fundraise with support from the Spartan Engineering community.
Thomas Gilbert, senior mechanical engineering student and project manager of the MSU Baja Racing team, said one of the biggest benefits of working in a single facility is the opportunity to tap into the expertise of other teams.
“Solar and formula have more electronics and software experience, whereas we have really good mechanical foundation in manufacturing and design,” Gilbert shared. “We’ve been able to increase workflow and have a lot more capability to advance our team.”
Jason Van Valkenburg, father of a first-year MSU student interested in computer engineering and music, toured the center and shared that previous interactions with MSU alumni have left a very favorable impression.
“I've met a couple graduates in a business context, and when I said, ‘Oh, I have a son who's about to go to MSU,’ they just smiled from ear to ear. They really take pride in their school, and there's a happiness they get when someone else gets to have that same experience. Every interaction we've had, and everything we hear along the way, it's just reinforced this is the right decision.”
Special guest Zeke the Wonder Dog greeted families with a wag and a smile as they arrived for their tours. He also met Interim Dean John Papapolymerou and got a view from the driver’s seat of both the Baja and Formula One vehicles.
MSU Family Weekend is a popular, annual event each fall, offering families an opportunity to connect with various departments and resources on campus. Plans for the 2026 event are underway.
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