Chancellor Drake Dedicates Newest Engineering Building, Major Cardiovascular Research Center

More than 200 people gathered Oct. 29 to help The Henry Samueli School of Engineering dedicate the school’s new Engineering Hall and The Edwards Lifesciences Center for Advanced Cardiovascular Technology, located within the hall. The evening featured remarks by Chancellor Michael Drake; engineering dean Rafael L. Bras; Michael A. Mussallem, chairman and CEO of Edwards Lifesciences Corp.; and James V. Mazzo, chair of the Engineering Advisory Council and president of Abbott Medical Optics.

Engineering Hall primarily houses the Department of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science; Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems and photonic laboratories for the Department of Biomedical Engineering; offices for faculty, students and administrators; a spacious 350-seat auditorium and lecture facility; and The Edwards Lifesciences Center.

A first-class research facility, The Edwards Lifesciences Center is dedicated to researching and developing the next generation of cardiovascular devices. Founded in 2007 by a generous $5 million gift from Edwards Lifesciences Corp., this multidisciplinary center focuses on heart and vascular diseases and advanced cardiovascular device technology, with strong collaboration among students, faculty and experts in the cardiovascular field.

Among those thanked for making the building and center a reality were:

• Chancellor Drake and Executive Vice Chancellor & Provost Michael R. Gottfredson
• Michael A. Mussallem, chairman and CEO, Edwards Lifesciences Corp.
• Hensel Phelps Construction Co. and subcontractors
• Executive architect Carrier Johnson
• Concept architect Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum
• Campus architect Rebekah G. Gladson
• UCI’s offices of Design & Construction Services, Capital Planning and Planning & Budget
• Elias Bordcosh, Samueli School director of facilities
• Nicolaos G. Alexopoulos, former engineering dean; and Janice M. Holstein, former engineering assistant dean for planning & administration
• Agilent Technologies, who helped equip new teaching laboratories

Cutting the ribbon to the new Engineering Hall, from left to right: James V. Mazzo, chair, Engineering Advisory Council and president, Abbott Medical Optics; Michael A. Mussallem, chairman and CEO, Edwards Lifesciences Corp.; Michael R. Gottfredson, executive vice chancellor & provost; Chancellor Michael Drake; Rafael L. Bras, dean, Henry Samueli School of Engineering; Henry Samueli, co-founder of Broadcom Corp.; and Nicolaos G. Alexopoulos, former engineering dean.

Photo by Paul R. Kennedy
The Henry Samueli School of Engineering
Feature: Matters of the heart
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