Gift from Carleton Technologies Supports UB's Engineering Program

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Cobham's Carleton Technologies has made a four-year commitment to fund the University at Buffalo School of Engineering and Applied Sciences with a gift totaling $156,000 to support student scholarships, numerous programs and events, as well as a named classroom in the new engineering building to be constructed on UB's North (Amherst) Campus.

Carleton Technologies is a leading designer and manufacturer of high pressure pneumatic components and systems for the aerospace and defense industries, specializing in a range of life support and pneumatic control products for the military, space and commercial aircraft markets. Based in Orchard Park with another facility in Westminster, Md., it is a wholly owned subsidiary of Cobham plc, an international company engaged in the development, delivery and support of advanced aerospace and defense systems for land, sea and air platforms. Specializing in the provision of components, sub-systems and services that keep people safe, improve communications and enhance the capability of aerospace and defense platforms, Cobham is respected around the world for the talent of its people and the technical brilliance of its products.

Besides naming a classroom in the new 130,000-square-foot engineering building and establishing new scholarships in mechanical and aerospace engineering, Carleton's gift will support the Dean's Scholars program. It will also fund sponsorships for the Engineering Career Institute, a unique credit-bearing program supplementing a strong technical curriculum and increasing students' on-the-job effectiveness; UB's celebration of National Engineers Week; the Order of the Engineer Induction Ceremony; the Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honors Employment Dinner, which brings together companies that recruit at the Technical Job Fair with members of the engineering honors societies; as well as a variety of other UB Engineering programs and events.

"We are proud of our relationship with UB Engineering and boast a strong UB alumni representation on our leadership team and in the design engineering workforce," said Ken Kota, general manager of Carleton Technologies. "This gift is a reflection of the partnership we have with UB, and we look forward to continuing our collaboration in the future."

This contribution establishes a new scholarship program -- the Carleton Technologies Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Scholarships -- which will be awarded to UB students from Western New York who are pursuing degrees in mechanical and aerospace engineering. Carleton's gift will also strengthen the UB Engineering Dean's Scholars program, which was established in 2007 to provide scholarship support for approximately 20 of the most talented incoming freshmen each year.

"Carleton Technologies is a valuable partner of the school as a key employer of our alumni," said Harvey G. Stenger Jr., dean of the school. "The company's generosity will impact us in many ways, from generating visibility for the school to inspiring other corporate partners to join us as we expand facilities and increase our capacity to attract students and faculty. All of this together will bolster the local economy and develop a strong engineering workforce. We are grateful to Carleton Technologies for this generous gift."

Boasting a "cybertorium" with sophisticated communications devices and smart technology, flexible research labs, and classrooms and meeting areas for interdisciplinary work, the new engineering building will allow UB to use existing buildings to expand its teaching in high-demand fields such as biomedical engineering, and to meet projected increases in student enrollment. These goals are aligned with the UB 2020 strategic plan, which calls for UB to grow by 40 percent and to invest in areas of strategic research strength, such as information and computing technology, integrated nanostructured systems, and mitigation of extreme events and disasters. Groundbreaking for the building, designed by renowned architects Perkins + Will, is slated for the summer.

The new building reflects a true "private-public" partnership between generous private donors and New York State. The state has provided $49.6 million to finance the basic building structure. UB Engineering is engaged in a fundraising effort to generate additional funds to enhance the function and quality of the building.

The University at Buffalo is a premier research-intensive public university, a flagship institution in the State University of New York system and its largest and most comprehensive campus. UB's more than 28,000 students pursue their academic interests through more than 300 undergraduate, graduate and professional degree programs. Founded in 1846, the University at Buffalo is a member of the Association of American Universities.