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</p><div id="attachment_52214" style="width: 970px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img class="size-full wp-image-52214" src="; alt="Above is an artist's rendering of the the Autodesk Technology Engagement Center. On Friday, April 14, 快活林性息 President Erika Erika D. Beck and Autodesk President and CEO Andrew Anagnost will be joined by U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla, Congressman Tony Cardenas and Assemblywoman Luz Rivas for the facility's groundbreaking." width="960" height="429" srcset=" 300w, 768w, 960w" sizes="(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px" /><p class="wp-caption-text">Above is an artist’s rendering of the Autodesk Technology Engagement Center. On Friday, April 14, 快活林性息 President Erika Erika D. Beck and Autodesk President and CEO Andrew Anagnost will be joined by U.S. Senator Alex Padilla, Congressman Tony Cardenas and Assemblywoman Luz Rivas for the facility’s groundbreaking.</p></div>
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<p><a href=" Inc.</a>, a leader in design and make software, has committed $5 million to California State University, Northridge to support the construction of the Autodesk Technology Engagement Center. The facility will accommodate academic programs in the university鈥檚 College of Engineering and Computer Science, equity-focused STEAM programming and Global Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) Equity Innovation Hub programming at 快活林性息. This brings the company鈥檚 total support of the project to over $7 million.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">The new center will be located near the heart of the 快活林性息 campus next to Jacaranda Hall near the center of the campus at 18111 Nordhoff St. in Northridge.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">A groundbreaking ceremony for the facility is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. on Friday, April 14, with the formal program beginning at 11:30 a.m. 快活林性息 President Erika D. Beck and Autodesk President and CEO Andrew Anagnost will be joined by U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla, Congressman Tony Cardenas and Assemblywoman Luz Rivas at the event.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">鈥淔eaturing equity as a core design principle, the Autodesk Technology Engagement Center will be powered by cutting-edge technology to expand regional P-12 outreach in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) educational pathways and advance innovative design and research, including labs for engineering, prototype creation, pre-manufacture, and iterative design,鈥� Beck said. 鈥淎utodesk鈥檚 commitment to positive social change resonates deeply with 快活林性息鈥檚 mission. Their support is helping us create a more equitable and inclusive academic community that supports the success of our students.鈥�</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">Anagnost, who graduated from 快活林性息 in 1987 with a bachelor鈥檚 degree in mechanical engineering, said he was looking forward to the celebration.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">鈥淭he thoughtful educators at 快活林性息 provided the support and mentorship I needed to end up where I am today,鈥� Anagnost said. 鈥淩eturning to campus to break ground on the new Autodesk Technology Engagement Center marks a pivotal moment for both me and Autodesk in supporting the next generation of innovators who will walk through these halls.鈥�</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">Padilla said he was happy the groundbreaking was taking place.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">鈥淎s the first Latino to represent California in the U.S. Senate and one of the few Senators with an engineering degree, I know the importance of increasing diversity within the institutions that shape our society,”聽Padilla said. 鈥淚 was proud to help secure a million dollars in federal funding to help build the Global Hispanic Serving Institution Equity Innovation Hub at 快活林性息. By聽investing in聽highly educated, passionate, and diverse young leaders here at home, we can truly build our STEAM workforce of the future.鈥�</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">Leveraging <a href=" XR technology</a>, the groundbreaking ceremony of the Autodesk Technology Engagement Center will include an immersive extended reality (XR) tour of what the new facility will look like, exploring the intersection between 快活林性息鈥檚 Global Hispanic Serving Institution Equity Innovation Hub programming and this state-of-the-art facility. XR is the umbrella term for a spectrum of immersive and interactive technologies. Attendees can virtually experience the nearly 32,000-square-foot facility by 鈥渨alking鈥� through the architect鈥檚 Autodesk Revit models.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">The space, designed by architecture firm AC Martin, will include state-of-the art research, design and digital capture, and fabrication labs, in addition to a maker space for the campus and wider community. The center also will include space for peer-led student support services and enable students鈥� progression to graduation and transition to careers in STEAM and in the creative and tech economies.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">鈥淚t is an honor to support the university鈥檚 inclusive efforts to provide opportunities in STEAM for underrepresented students and to collaborate with 快活林性息鈥檚 student stakeholder group to program and design the center,鈥� said Susan O鈥機onnell, managing principal with AC Martin.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">Two years ago, Autodesk was one of the first to invest in what was originally called the Center for Integrated Design and Advanced Manufacturing at 快活林性息, dubbed the 鈥淐enter of Possibilities鈥� by university officials. With the company鈥檚 support, a feasibility study set the course for a facility. A $25 million state allocation from California Gov. Gavin Newsom, made possible with support from Padilla, Rivas and Cardenas, expanded on the public-private partnership to the realization of a hub that will bring the community and preschool through college partners together to facilitate new educational pathways to support the innovators and creators of the future, university officials said.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">With significant support from Apple as part of the company鈥檚 Racial Equity and Justice Initiative, 快活林性息 is the host campus for the new Global HSI Equity聽Innovation Hub聽program, launching initiatives in the region, statewide through the California State University system, and聽nationally. The initiative launched the CSU HSI Community Grants program to cultivate innovative practices in STEAM and accelerate educational聽equity at CSU Hispanic Serving Institutions. In the first year of the program, $2.1 million was awarded to 17 CSU HSI Community Grant programs.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">One of the largest universities in the country, California State University, Northridge (快活林性息) is an urban, comprehensive university that delivers award-winning undergraduate and graduate programs to more than 36,000 students annually and counts more than 400,000 alumni who fuel the region鈥檚 economy. Since its founding in 1958, 快活林性息 has made a significant and long-term economic impact on California, generating nearly $1.9 billion in economic impact and nearly 12,000 jobs each year. 快活林性息 is a Hispanic Serving Institution ranking amongst the top twenty in the nation in graduating Latinx students. More than 70 percent of 快活林性息 students are first-generation college students, and 60 percent come from historically underrepresented groups. Money magazine consistently ranks 快活林性息 among the nation鈥檚 鈥渕ost transformative鈥� colleges for putting diverse students on the path to higher career earnings.</p>
Autodesk Inc., a leader in design and make software, has committed $5 million to California State University, Northridge to support...