Andy Close
BRADFORD, Pa. – Hamlin Bank and Trust Co. has given a $100,000 gift toward the construction of the George B. Duke Engineering and Information Technologies Building at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford.
The building, currently under construction adjacent to Hanley Library, will serve as Pitt-Bradford’s headquarters of innovation. It will house two new academic programs — mechanical engineering technology and energy engineering technology — as well as the existing programs of computer information systems and technology, energy science and technology, and information systems.
“By investing in this exciting new facility, we are investing in the community,” said Marty Digel, Hamlin Bank’s chairman, president and CEO. “This new building and the exciting programs in it will enable generations of Pitt-Bradford students to develop unique and innovative skills that will help to strengthen the regional workforce, which ultimately will benefit our community.”
Rick Esch, Pitt-Bradford’s interim president, said, “We are grateful that Hamlin Bank is investing in the future of innovation at Pitt-Bradford and in our region. Our friends at Hamlin Bank join several other business and industry partners in the region in supporting this new building as well as the development of the two new engineering technology majors.”
As Pitt-Bradford’s headquarters of innovation, the Duke Building is being constructed to meet Leadership in Energy and Environment Design – LEED – standards. It is anticipated that the U.S. Green Building Council will certify the building at least at the silver level. Once certified, it will join Livingston Alexander House as the second LEED-certified building on campus and the third in McKean County.
The new facility will feature a solar array on its roof, which is expected to produce about 113,000 kWh/year and include a building dashboard that will aid in community education and engagement.
In addition to the solar array, the new building will feature many specialized spaces for students studying engineering and information technology, including a circuit lab, measurement lap, a machine shop, a strength and materials lab, a fluid dynamics lab, a maker space, and a virtual reality lab.
The building also will feature a light-filled two-story atrium, study rooms, and a project lab for students from different disciplines to collaborate, inspire each other, and make their designs a reality.
To learn more about the new building and the programs that will be housed in it, visit www.upb.pitt.edu/engineeringbuilding.
To contribute to the building or any other project or scholarship, contact Pitt-Bradford’s Office of Philanthropic and Alumni Engagement at 814-362-5091 or visit upb.pitt.edu/giving.
