Mention you’re visiting Arizona State University’s Polytechnic campus and, whether you’re at bustling Main, business-like Downtown Phoenix or relaxed West, you’ll get some blank stares and quizzical interrogation.
“Where is that even at?” is common. Also, “Do you have any idea how far away that is?”
As far as students at the other campuses seem to know, Polytechnic is a mysterious, remote desert laboratory where geniuses gather to discuss quantum mechanics and electromagnetism. They are partly correct.
But to reduce Polytechnic (and its people) to this hackneyed stereotype is to rob it of its rich complexity and character, from its origin as an Air Force base to its current status as a breeding ground for scientific inquiry, technological innovation and, for a healthy dose of collegiate shenanigans – urban gaming, open-mic nights and sumo wrestling.
"One of the things that struck me about this campus is how engaged students are," says Dr. Aaron Krasnow, dean of educational outreach and student services at Polytechnic. "There's a very strong community feel, which makes a big place feel smaller. You see the same people over and over on a daily basis, and that's a unique thing in most university settings."
Polytechnic sits on 600 acres of land in southeast Mesa, about a half-hour car ride away from Tempe (or a longer – but free – intercampus shuttle ride). According to 2010 data, approximately 9,752 students, 226 faculty and 166 staff make up the population of Polytechnic. Most are commuters, but there are eight residence halls (with two co-ed fraternities) and 610 individual homes on the property, some shared with non-student Mesa residents and with students from Chandler-Gilbert Community College.
Echoes of its military past abound. The state-of-the art Simulator Building houses an air-traffic-control simulator lab with a Siri-like voice recognition system. Its altitude chamber, where students test their ability to withstand atmospheric changes by doing crossword puzzles, solving math problems and writing down their symptoms, attracts visitors from all over the world – New Zealanders training to climb Mt. Everest were recent guests. CAE (formerly Canadian Aviation Electronics) and Mesa Airlines partnered with ASU on an $18 million flight simulator. Students frequently interact with pilots at the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, which abuts the campus.
From 1941 to 1993, the campus was Williams Air Force Base, a flying school for the Air Force and the Army. In 1996, ASU opened ASU East on the vast property. In 2005, it was renamed Polytechnic to reflect the school’s mission statement and program offerings – a collaboration of many sciences with the arts and humanities. Its military lineage lingers in some of the older buildings on campus.
“This was a grocery store back when this was an Air Force base,” says Dr. John Robertson as he walks through the halls and labs of the Technology Center. Robertson is a professor in the department of engineering technology, part of the College of Technology and Innovation (CTI), Polytechnic’s centerpiece school.
Before Robertson started teaching, he worked for electronics giant Motorola. His mix of industry chops and academic expertise epitomizes the balance that Polytechnic is attempting in all of its programs, which include the W.P. Carey School of Business, Morrison School of Agribusiness and Resource Management, the School of Letters and Sciences and University College, the College of Nursing and Health Innovation, the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, Barrett, the Honors College and, of course, CTI.
“Higher education is under a lot of pressure these days and they’re trying to do an alternative thing here,” Robertson says. “What’s changing is that we’re trying to create not just the technical content, but how do you use it, trouble-shoot it, specify it? We’re trying to get them (students) involved not just in the abstract theory of the technology but in the performance and cost as well.”
To that end, there is a huge push for innovation and entrepreneurship on campus, as well as multidisciplinary collaboration and comfort with industry being woven into the fabric of campus life. Managers and engineers from a range of companies seek student solutions to problems they’re facing and collaborate with students on real-life projects and initiatives.
“The business side is multidisciplinary,” Robertson says. “We have experts from different fields who speak to each other, work together and respect each other. We try to have a lot more practical work, a lot of activities and engagement and student involvement so that they feel like they have some skin in the game.”
Robertson says Polytechnic’s unique characteristics provide the perfect backdrop for innovation.
“Our advantage is we’re small,” Robertson says. “We’re able to look for alternate ways to do things and we’re not as tied to tradition. We’re smaller, we try harder. The dean is very committed to that, as are the chairs and the faculty. And of course support from industry people has been extremely helpful.”
Krasnow agrees.
“Internships have been a huge focus because they allow students to engage with companies early in,” Krasnow says. “A big part of Poly is that it’s industry-embedded. It’s very useful and powerful for students to do that now because it increases their likelihood of getting jobs.”
Krasnow, who has worked at ASU for nearly nine years and been at Polytechnic for nearly two, is consistently awed by the “very warm, friendly, community-oriented” students who also bring something to the table with their creative, even genius developments, contraptions and new ideas.
“I’m unbelievably impressed about what our students invent, how significant they are and how practical and applicable they are in the real world,” Krasnow says. “I’m totally confident that our students will create solutions to the big issues – and they have. It’s shocking, in a good way.”
Geoff Clark, an engineering junior, is one such student. Clark served as a CTI peer mentor and lives in a house on campus with two housemates. Like most engineering students, Clark can usually be found in one of the three working labs for engineering, where students listen to industry-veteran professors lecture and then immediately get to work on practical engineering – designing and actually making the things they dream up.
“We’re really technology-focused and pushing for more entrepreneurship and creativity in engineering,” Clark says. “It’s a project-based course and this semester we’re doing entrepreneurship. We design our own project, pitch the idea, design it and then present the completed prototype.”
Clark speaks with genuine knowledge and passion about his team’s idea and the myriad other projects being developed at Polytechnic. Two of his favorites are Dr. Thomas Sugar’s pioneering robotics work and invention of a variable spring system for prosthetic ankles (SPARKy ankle) and student Peter Seymour’s Edson Initiative-winning invention of a sensor designed to prevent sudden infant death syndrome.
The frenzied pace of innovation and collaboration is embraced by Polytechnic students, Clark says.
“It’s a lot less developed, so on one hand, it’s more chaotic,” Clark says. “But there’s also a lot more freedom to study what you want and focus on what you want. Most people are here because they genuinely love (what they’re doing).”
Clark also likes the intimate feel of the campus.
“We have smaller classes,” Clark says. “It forces students to have relationships with professors because classes are project-based. You see students in professors’ offices asking questions about research, not just test questions.”
The campus is currently beset with a number of construction projects. Three new buildings are in the works (including a student center, a recreation center and new dorms) and a new road, Innovation Way, will circle the campus in a loop to improve accessibility and transportation between campuses. The road work should be complete by July.
“I really do like the feel of it here, all the new architecture they’re putting up,” Clark says. “It’s really nice here – there’s lots of shade, lots of grass. There are huge fans in the open-air buildings to keep it cooler during the summer. This campus is going to be phenomenal in the next 10-15 years.”
Dr. Mitzi M. Montoya, vice provost and dean of CTI, started at Polytechnic in 2010 after 15 years at North Carolina State University. Montoya shares Clark’s warmth for the campus’ present and future.
“I’ve always appreciated that the four campuses have extremely distinct attributes,” Montoya says. “This is something of an experimental unit, so it’s exciting, different and fun. We have a great opportunity to be innovative and we’re really trying to listen to what the world needs.”
Montoya appreciates that Polytechnic has a small-college feel and yet has access to large-university resources as well.
“We are very focused on the villages concept, of living together and working together,” Montoya says. “What’s unique about having that here is that we’re partnering with industry and the state to advance economic development.”
Like the fascinating new technology being developed and the upstart entrepreneurs being inspired within its walls, Polytechnic is on the brink.
“It’s gradually beginning to acquire its own style,” Robertson says. “The best thing is just to encourage it, remove obstacles and keep it going. We’re slowly beginning to carve out a message.”
Contact the reporter at llemoine@asu.edu
