Milwaukee School of Engineering plans AI-integrated learning facility

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MILWAUKEE — As part of an effort to become a national leader in education of applied artificial intelligence, an engineering college in Milwaukee shared plans for a school and lab building at its downtown campus.

The Milwaukee School of Engineering on Monday announced its “Next Bold Step” campaign, which involves $125 million to support the university’s mission to prepare future leaders to solve technical challenges of the 21st century, officials said. The school will use $76.5 million to build a 4-story, 97,000-square-foot facility with labs, classrooms and workshops focused on robotics and AI, officials added.

The Robert D. Kern Engineering Innovation Center will promote innovative modes of education and support growing student needs, officials said. The project features an outdoor sustainability lab and public spaces for collaborative learning across all disciplines, with a focus on integrating AI and machine learning in all of MSOE’s engineering programs, officials added.

The innovation center will be built on a surface parking lot at the intersection of East State and North Milwaukee Streets, plans showed. It will be an addition to the existing Fred Loock Engineering Center and Allen-Bradley Hall of Science, located at 432 E. Kilbourn Ave. MSOE officials hope to break ground in the second half of 2025.

Pewaukee-based VJS Construction Services will be the project general contractor, MSOE officials said. Milwaukee-based Ramlow/Stein Architecture + Interiors will design the facility, officials added.

A key feature of the new building will be a new Center for Applied Artificial Intelligence Education, which will guide initiatives across campus, attract top faculty talent and support area businesses, officials said. The center will help incorporate AI into programs and projects for faculty, staff and students, officials added.

The building will also house MSOE’s mechanical engineering department, electrical, computer and biomedical engineering department, civil and architectural engineering and construction management department and the user experience program, officials noted.

The university will also establish the Dwight and Dian Diercks School of Advanced Computing to help secure MSOE’s place in being a national leader in applied AI education, officials said. “The school will allow MSOE to weave AI and machine learning into degree programs across the university, and to support the exponential opportunities that advanced computing and computational sciences make possible in every industry,” they added.

As part of the campaign, university officials said they will partner with donors and establish endowments for scholarships, faculty and research.