In a historic first, Trimble opened a new Trimble Technology Lab at the Florida A&M University campus in Tallahassee, Florida, last fall. This opening marks the first time that Trimble has opened a TTL at a historically Black university to host a Trimble Technology Lab. 

According to the company, the new TTL will revolutionize the learning experience for FAMU students in architecture and construction engineering by giving them access to state-of-the-art technology and software solutions. 

The suite of Trimble’s geospatial and construction solutions being provided to FAMU include the Trimble Ri robotic total station and XR10 HoloLens augmented reality hard hat, plus computer programs such as RealWorks scanning software, Trimble Business Center Infrastructure Construction edition, Tekla Structures, Tekla Structural Designer, Trimble Connect AR interactive collaboration software and the company’s SketchUp 3D modeling solution.

“We wanted to establish our first Trimble Technology Lab at an HBCU, and FAMU was the first one to form a really robust partnership with us,” says Amy Northcutt, Trimble’s director of education and outreach at Trimble. “We want to invest in the next generation of construction professionals and empower communities that haven’t had access to our technology in the past. Our goal in doing so is to help develop this next-generation workforce that’s going to join the construction industry as we move forward.”

HELPING IN OTHER WAYS

In addition to donating software and hardware for FAMU’s TTL, the Trimble Foundation Fund — the company’s philanthropic donor-advised fund — provided a grant to support the renovation and refurbishment of classroom spaces for the new lab. In this respect, history was made again: FAMU is the first recipient of a Trimble Foundation Fund grant to establish a Trimble Technology Lab.

Doreen Kobelo is director of FAMU’s construction engineering technology program. She is grateful to Trimble for helping FAMU train students using the actual technology they’ll encounter on the job. 

“We know that right now with the construction industry that there’s a lot of transformation occurring,” Kobelo says. “By enabling FAMU to graduate students who have been taught using the latest technology, Trimble is making it less expensive for the trenchless industry to prepare our graduates for their new jobs. Now every construction company has their own policies and philosophies that new hires have to adapt to. But still, if you’re able to shorten that transition period, you’re making it much easier for their employers to get their new hires to speed.”

PUTTING THE TOOLS TO USE

To illustrate how Trimble’s technology will make a difference for FAMU, Doreen Kobelo explained how her first-year Building Construction class will benefit from using the Trimble HoloLens hard hat. 

This device uses an augmented reality visor to overlay computer graphics in front of the wearer’s field of vision. 

“Using the HoloLens hard hat and a learning platform provided to FAMU by a sister university, our students will be able to see what the construction site looks like and what are the issues when it comes to safety and planning,” she says. “When they’re seniors, they’ll be able to use Trimble’s suite of software solutions to manage sites that have already been designed.”

Officials at the college also say Trimble’s generous support will equip students and faculty with state-of-the-art technology while setting a historic precedent.

“We are honored by a gift that demonstrates a commitment to cultivating a diverse and technologically proficient generation of architects and engineers,” says Andrew Chin, interim dean of FAMU’s School of Architecture & Engineering Technology.