Dana Nichols (left), vice president of Academic Affairs, and Jimmy Lail (right), board chairman of Associated General Contractors of East Tennessee, pose for a picture with other school officials and AGC board members inside the new construction lab at the school’s Center for Engineering, Technology, Arts and Sciencees (CETAS) building. The lab was built thanks to a $150,000 donation from AGC.Chattanooga State Community College unveiled a a new, $150,000 construction lab Wednesday morning that school officials said will provide more hands-on learning opportunities for students wanting to enter the construction industry.
The lab was built thanks to a donation from the Associated General Contractors of East Tennessee and is housed in the college’s Center for Engineering, Technology, Arts and Sciences (CETAS) building. Several people, including school officials, AGC members, city officials and Tennessee Board of Regents member Tom White were there Wednesday for the unveiling of the space, which is opening in August and is a multi-functional room that includes a computer lab, lab tables for mixing materials and a “tiny home.”
Lyn Potter, interim dean for the engineering technology college, said students will be able to design and build their own tiny homes in the 4,900-square-foot lab.
“It allows them to take a construction project from nothing to the finished product,” Potter said.
Before the AGC lab, there was no dedicated construction lab on campus and equipment was spread across three different locations, said Nancy Patterson, vice president of college advancement and public relations. Patterson said it will also allow the AGC student chapter to meet and work on community service projects.