Engineering Technology Building Renovations Support Learning, Workforce Preparation

Tulsa Community College completed renovations to the Engineering Technology Building at its Northeast Campus, enhancing instructional spaces, faculty areas, and lab facilities that support engineering education.

Tulsa Community College marked the completion of renovations to the Engineering Technology Building at its Northeast Campus with an open house for faculty, staff, and students. Attendees got a first look at updated classrooms and collaboration spaces, faculty spaces, and a new Materials Properties Lab.

“This project was driven by the needs of students headed into high-demand technical fields, whether they plan to transfer or enter the workforce,” said TCC President and CEO Leigh Goodson, Ph.D. “The updates reflect TCC’s commitment to providing dynamic learning settings for students and functional work areas for faculty and staff.”

A centerpiece of the renovation is the new Materials Properties Lab, which gives students the opportunity to test and analyze materials. The lab is equipped with a Universal Mechanical Testing Machine that allows students to apply tension, compression, bending, and twisting forces to materials to measure strength and performance.

“In the Materials Properties Lab, students use advanced technology to understand materials down to the microscopic level,” said TCC Dean of Mathematics and Engineering David Paige, Ph.D. “This gives them a clearer connection between theoretical concepts they learn and how materials perform in real engineering applications.”

Additional equipment supports the careful preparation of material samples for microscopic analysis. Precision cutting tools allow samples to be prepared without heat or friction altering the material, ensuring accurate results when students examine microstructure and material behavior.

TCC student Alex Jones is a majoring in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and said he is thrilled to see how TCC is investing in its facilities.

“We will be able to see and touch and experience with our own eyes and hands the things that we are learning in the classroom,” said Jones. “The lab allows us to test materials to see how strong they are, how they bend, and what happens when they fail, which is foundational to any type of engineering.”

A refreshed entrance and common areas near the existing Fabrication Lab now serve as collaborative study spaces with new flooring, desks, and tables that encourage student interaction outside the classroom.

Several instructional spaces were updated as part of the project. Renovated classrooms include a computer-based classroom supporting computer-aided design (CAD) instruction; a hands-on lab space focused on testing, automation, and quality control; and ET-137, a traditional lecture classroom supporting foundational coursework.

The project also includes a new conference room for faculty and staff, a breakroom, and offices.

The renovated spaces were designed by GH2 Architects, with construction completed by Scissortail Construction. Renovations were completed with Critical Stem Funding from the State of Oklahoma, and equipment was funded with a Build Back Better Grant.

In addition to the new lab and renovations, the project included significant infrastructure upgrades throughout the Engineering Technology Building. Deferred maintenance funds were used to install a comprehensive fire sprinkler system throughout the building and to upgrade the mechanical system and integrate them into the campus-wide automated control system.