PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — With a $16.75 million gift from the Lassonde Family Foundation, Brown University will launch a full-scale renovation of Prince Lab, transforming the 63-year-old building into a dynamic and central campus hub for project-based learning, cutting-edge research and engineering innovation.
The reimagined space, to be named the Lassonde Innovation and Design Hub, will be home to an expanded and modernized Brown Design Workshop (BDW) — a space for applied learning where students from across campus can design, iterate, collaborate and build just about anything they can dream up. The hub will also include classroom and research laboratory space and serve as home to two School of Engineering master’s programs: the master of science in innovation management and entrepreneurship, and the Brown-RISD master of arts in design engineering. Both programs emphasize innovative engineering approaches to solving real world challenges.
“One important hallmark of teaching and research at Brown is unlocking the potential for students and scholars to test new ideas, solve problems and develop novel innovations,” said Brown President Christina H. Paxson. “The reimagined Lassonde Innovation and Design Hub will provide a new center for entrepreneurial learning and create new opportunities for Brown students to build community around the creative process. We’re deeply grateful to Pierre for his generosity.”
Located at 355 Brook St. in Providence, the building is an integral part of Brown’s interconnected engineering complex, which comprises the soon-to-be renamed Lassonde Innovation and Design Hub, Barus and Holley, and the state-of-the-art Engineering Research Center.
