The announcement was held in the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies and was broadcast live on the second floor where numerous media representatives were watching. Before Larry Burns, vice president of research and development and strategic planning for General Motors, made public the amount of the investment, Dean of Engineering Alan Cramb and President Shirley Ann Jackson spoke about engineering here at RPI. Cramb proclaimed that it was “an auspicious day indeed for Rensselaer,” especially since it took a few years to get this opportunity for both his school and the Institute as a whole.

Jackson was next to speak, and she touched upon Cramb’s remarks on just what this means to RPI. She noted the importance of connections between Rensselaer and industries, especially to get “real world” experience for the students. From the connection with PACE, students here will be using software that professional engineers are utilizing in all fields. The new CAD program being used is UGS’ NX 4, which is a switch from SolidWorks. After Burns announced the amount of the contribution, he too stressed the importance of technology in engineering, adding that “computer technology has changed what engineers can be and can do.”

The celebration continued as other representatives from PACE companies expressed their opinions on the new partnership with RPI and the importance of having up-to-date technology in the classroom. Edward Arlin, executive vice president of the Global GM Account for UGS, welcomed RPI to the PACE family—which includes 36 other institutions both in the United States and abroad. He spoke on UGS’ behalf, describing the company’s goal to transform “the process of innovation” through their programs. UGS is continuously working to “change the world for the better, for the sooner,” and integrating software like NX 4 into classrooms will help achieve this.

One of the key students involved in forming this partnership was graduate student John Farnsworth. He was one of the first at Rensselaer to use NX 3, which he learned during an internship working on a “morphing wing project.” He was impressed by the capabilities of the program and the advantages his knowledge gave him when it came to job interviews, especially at NASA where they use the UGS software. Farnsworth ended up as the teaching assistant for the first CAD class to use NX 3, and he is currently the TA for the class using NX 4.

Last year, the Engineering Graphics and CAD course introduced NX 3 into the classroom, and students were not expected to learn the program but were required to use the new software in their design of an electric stapler. Following the announcement, there were student displays of CAD projects in the 2nd Floor Atrium, which included the stapler and the pencil sharpener made by last spring’s class after upgrading to NX 4. Stephen DiCato ’09 said it was an “opportunity to show off [his] work while meeting real engineers in the field.”

Students who were asked to show their designs used computers to explain the project and the inner workings of the new software. Patrick Carey ’07 explained the differences between NX 4 and SolidWorks, adding that the new program is “almost too capable at times.”

Instead of starting with parts to make components and eventually the assembly as a whole, students can now start with multi-component assemblies on two coordinate systems to reproduce items faster. The speed and accuracy of the program means more parts can be made in the same time frame being used as before. Damien Vera ’07 was really enthusiastic, claiming that “technology and human interaction will be perfect,” as this program really looks at how things move and work.

Other software PACE uses includes Teamcenter Community and Tecnomatix Jack Human Simulation, Altair HyperWorks, FLUENT, LSTC DYNA, MSC, Adams, and MD Nastran. These programs will be installed in the main engineering labs as well as other important places throughout the Troy campus.