VCU news

By Mike Frontiero
VCU School of Education

Virginia Commonwealth University engineering students now have a machine shop they can call their own. Surplus metal-working equipment, donated by Philip Morris USA, will allow students to build working models of their designs without leaving the School of Engineering. Until now, they have had to go across campus to use the machine shop in the School of the Arts' building on West Broad Street.

"We appreciate this generous donation," said Dean Robert J. Mattauch, Ph.D. "Engineering students not only need computers to detail their designs, they need a machine shop for fabrication. By having this shop, they can turn their electronic drawings into working models and test them."

The gift of eight heavy-duty machines from Philip Morris facilities in the Richmond area includes an engine lathe, three vertical milling machines, vertical bandsaw, drill press and a surface grinder. They are being installed in the school's High Bay lab and can be used for sophisticated fabrication and milling of metal.

"This equipment will help provide companies with the engineering workforce they need and help our students gain access to equipment they'll see when they work for a top company such as Philip Morris," said Mattauch.