The Texas A&M University System celebrated the opening of the STEM Education and Research Center at Texas A&M-RELLIS today. The new collaborative facility allows students, researchers and industry partners to work side by side to advance applied research and prepare the next generation of Texas’ STEM workforce.
The 53,000-square-foot center serves as a systemwide hub for hands-on learning, innovation, interdisciplinary collaboration and industry engagement, strengthening connections between higher education, research and emerging technology sectors critical to Texas’ future.
“Students are at the center of everything we do, and this facility is designed to give them opportunities they simply cannot get in a traditional classroom,” said Chancellor Glenn Hegar. “By working alongside researchers and industry partners, students gain real-world experience, develop practical skills and graduate better prepared to lead and serve. This center reflects our commitment to putting students first while helping meet the workforce needs of Texas.”
The center features advanced makerspaces and collaborative environments that support student design projects, applied research and interdisciplinary innovation across fields ranging from engineering and advanced energy to digital technologies and virtual reality.
Students from the RELLIS Academic Alliance — including Texas A&M University-Texarkana, West Texas A&M University, East Texas A&M University, Tarleton State University and Texas A&M University-Kingsville — will utilize the facility alongside System research initiatives and industry partners.
The McFerrin Center for Entrepreneurship at Texas A&M University as well as industry partners like Last Energy, Terrestrial Energy and Plug and Play will have offices in the center.
"This facility accelerates the Greater Brazos Region’s momentum as a hub for world-class companies, talent and transformative projects in emerging technologies, by co-locating students and researchers alongside industry leaders like Last Energy and Terrestrial Energy," said Tom Johnson, president and CEO of Greater Brazos Partnership.
By co-locating academic programs, research activity and industry collaborators, the center accelerates innovation, strengthens workforce development and creates direct pathways from education to industry deployment.
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