Merrimack’s Center for Innovation and Research is fully dedicated to engineering and computational sciences, and designed to expand research capabilities, promote innovation and allow students to translate ideas into real-world applications.
"Designed to facilitate academic and institutional partnerships, inspire innovative ideas and fuel academic success, the Center for Innovation and Research in Engineering and Computational Sciences is a vital addition to Merrimack College’s expanding research culture. Specialized labs, classrooms, facilities and equipment strengthen our STEM programming, enhance our research capabilities and provide opportunities for faculty and students to work collaboratively and make groundbreaking discoveries.”
This prominent new facility is an engineering hub and brings together technical education with hands-on development that allows students to bring their ideas into real-world applications and products.
Highlights of the new Center include:
31,000 square feet of new engineering space was added in fall 2022. Another 14,000 square feet will be added by fall 2024. This expansion more than doubles the current engineering space.
The Center includes new state-of-the-art classrooms, a 2,500 square feet Innovation Workshop and custom makerspaces to foster an entrepreneurial environment to develop, create and test ideas for research and corporate projects.
Labs and spaces dedicated to mechanics, robotics, geo/fluids, environmental engineering, material science and more are part of the new Engineering Innovation Center.
The Center brings together students, faculty and advisors. It offers dedicated advising and academic support areas for students to collaborate with faculty and get the support they need.
Merrimack’s Center for Innovation and Research in Engineering and Computational Sciences is fully dedicated to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) and designed to fuel collaboration, hands-on learning and research.
The Center’s innovative space includes:
In this dual lecture/laboratory space — equipped with torsion, compression and beam testing machines — students study the behavior of simple structures and materials.
Designed for lectures and laboratory work, this space allows civil engineering students to scrutinize building sites by analyzing soils and fluids using a pipe rack, digital load frames, direct shear/consolidation testing devices, sieve shakers and a drying oven.
Using glassware and drying ovens, aspiring environmental engineers can measure oxygen demand, pH, turbidity, temperature and more.
In this lab, students will work with faculty to develop simulation and modeling skills using design, visualization, and mapping tools such as Autodesk, MATLAB, SAP2000, Abaqus, and ArcGIS.
Innovative ideas come to life in this multipurpose workspace where students have access to tools, our parts library
and raw materials for exploring robotics, machine design and product development.
Complex 3D computer drawings become novel parts through the magic of 3D printers, a laser cutter and a metal-cutting waterjet.
Students explore the future of robotics with our Boston Dynamics Spot robot, a Pepper humanoid robotic system, VEX Robotics systems, a Teradyne testing system, and other advanced fabrication and testing equipment.
Student designs become tangible prototypes using lathes, mills, tabletop CNC machines, bandsaws, grinders and other state-of-the-art metal and woodworking equipment.
This hub for hands-on practice and learning offers spaces for lectures in electrical engineering, as well as electronics and circuit design labs.
The Center is located at 510-530 Turnpike Rd. – across from the Merrimack College campus. The spaces include labs, collaboration spaces and dedicated spaces for faculty, classrooms and advising.
Spencer Benoit M’22 went from an attack helicopter mechanic to a school counselor after graduating from Merrimack College.
