CLEMSON, S.C. (WSPA) – Clemson University broke ground on its Advanced Materials Innovation Complex Tuesday.
“Groundbreakings are some of the most exciting days in the life of a campus because they serve as a physical marker of a new and exciting chapter for our institution,” Dr. Jim Clements, Clemson University’s president, said.
AMIC will be a 143,000-square-foot building that will include an auditorium, classrooms, and research labs.
“100 percent of students at AMIC will be conducting research,” Tony Wagner, Clemson University’s executive vice president for finance and operations, said.
Students studying all types of sciences will take classes at AMIC.
The $130-million facility will focus on research of advanced materials, which are specifically engineered to perform a wide variety of functions, such as improving technology and making cars and planes more fuel efficient.
“Those materials are going to improve the health of our people, planet, and economy,” Dr. Cynthia Young, Clemson University’s dean of the College of Science, said.
According to the Department of Commerce, there are more than 900 advanced materials companies in South Carolina, which have created thousands of jobs.
Clemson hopes AMIC will prepare its students to be part of the advanced materials workforce.
“When you have great facilities, laboratories, classrooms, and research infrastructure, it attracts great talent – both faculty and students,” Dr. Anand Gramopadhye, Clemson University’s dean of the College of Engineering, Computing, and Applied Sciences, said. “When they come together, magic happens.”
AMIC is expected to open in 2025.
