Brick by brick: College of Engineering and Computing building park to honor alumni and friends


The path, built with personalized bricks, will lead to an eco-friendly “Central Park” gathering spot at the CEC campus.

By Isadora Rangel

Alumni from the FIU College of Engineering and Computing (CEC) can leave their permanent mark at the school. The construction of a brick path with the names of alumni, staff, supporters and students is scheduled to start within the next month at the school’s 38-acre campus, located on West Flager Street near University Park.

The path will lead to an eco-friendly “Central Park” that will have as its centerpiece the Solar Decathlon House, a student-built, solar-powered house that will be constructed using sustainable materials. It will be similar to Future House USA, a student-designed and student-built green building that was constructed last summer near the Beijing Olympic Village.

The idea, conceived by College of Engineering & Computing Dean Amir Mirmiran, is to create a bridge between past and present and honor alumni and friends of the school. The park is also an initiative to create campus life at the CEC campus. College leaders hope it will become a meeting place for students and alumni. It will also serve as a research center for renewable energy and energy efficiencies of new green products.

“The idea is one that equally benefits our students and alumni and our faculty and staff,” said Mirmiran. “It links us to our alumni, giving them a solid 4″ x 8″ reason, the bricks, to come back to the campus and see their names engraved in a pathway that ultimately leads to engineering excellence.”

The first phase of the project is building the path. Once it is completed, the school will host a student design competition to help create the park. The students will be required to use green technologies in their projects.

So far, more than 100 bricks have been sold. The money raised will be used to fund scholarships, laboratory and equipment upgrades, student projects, faculty development and student competitions.

Each 4″x8″ brick  is $100 and allows for three lines of text, 18 characters per line. Interested buyers can  access the CEC website to place their orders and make payments.