The University College of Engineering will continue its efforts to expand its construction management program with the help of a $1 million donation from Baton Rouge’s MMR Group.
The MMR Group is a world-renowned electrical and instrumentation firm, and is the largest open-shop company of its kind. Its headquarters are stationed in Baton Rouge, and it has more than 20 branches throughout North and South America. 
According to Mimi LaValle, director of communications at the College of Engineering, the money will be used to construct a building simulation and information modeling studio. This is the second donation MMR has made. The first donation went toward constructing a materials and methods laboratory, which James Rutland, president and CEO of MMR, said will open sometime in the spring.
Rutland said the company made the donation to help sustain the increasingly relevant program.
“We hire a lot of those graduates out of the program, and I’m an alumnus, so it was a good opportunity for us to give back to the University, and it’s important that we help it become as strong as it possibly can,” Rutland said.
The building simulation studio will innovate methods construction engineers use to evaluate new building designs. Cutting edge digital technology will be used to build new simulations and improve complex models.
The materials lab will pioneer new ways of using nanomaterials to improve sustainable design. LaValle said this is integral to the future of the construction industry.
According to LaValle, nanomaterials have been used to create new sustainable technologies and improve existing ones. These technologies include self-cleaning glass, low energy cement and self-healing materials.
“These are used to treat the deterioration of different structures and cracks, and those kinds of concerns in the construction industry,” LaValle said.
The labs will also provide many research and learning opportunities for construction management students. LaValle said this experience will give the University’s graduates an advantage over their peers when they enter the workforce.  
The “Louisiana Economic Outlook: 2014 and 2015” report stated the Baton Rouge economy is stimulated by $34.7 billion in prospective or current construction projects.
Plans to develop the labs are still in their infant stages, but the college is working closely with its faculty and staff to address the needs of the construction management program. LaValle is optimistic about its progress.
“With this, the demand for our construction management graduates is unprecedented,” LaValle said. “The new labs will definitely complement the curriculum we already have, but it will also lead us towards more advanced and sustainable technologies.”
“The new labs will definitely complement the curriculum we already have, but it will also lead us towards more advanced and sustainable technologies.”