Yale’s new Center for Engineering Innovation & Design (CEID) opened this fall, centralizing and expanding the resources previously available to engineering students. “This is the first time effort has been made to make these resources up-front and easily available,” said Yusuf Chauhan ’12, a Biomedical Engineering major who now works full-time as a Design Intern at the CEID. “The CEID is here to foster a culture of engineering on campus and open up engineering to everyone.”
The CEID features new technology and equipment, including three 3D printers, power tools, computers with the full Adobe suite, and a wet lab, as well as wood and machine shops. It has an open central studio space, a classroom-style lecture area, and several group study rooms on the second floor with floor-to-ceiling whiteboards, all of which are open 24 hours a day.
In addition, the CEID holds workshops to teach students new skills, such as how to use 3D printers or work with sheet metal. Undergraduate staff “gurus” with specialized knowledge are also available on weeknights to help students learn techniques such as programming or electronic systems wiring.
Chauhan described the center as “a very collaborative engineering environment. There are always people in here, and always someone involved on a brand new project.” Engineering courses and events are also held at the CEID, and undergraduate engineering organizations, such as the Yale Undergraduate Aerospace Association and Bulldogs Racing, use it as a workspace. “The CEID is like an intellectual design factory,” said Chauhan. “If I were a student, I would spend all my time here.”
Note: To access the CEID, located on the first floor of the Becton Engineering Center, students must pass an 11-question online quiz and attend an hour-long orientation session. More details can be found here.