When a burst pipe led to flood damage in Kearney Hall in 2019, faculty and staff in the College of Engineering looked beyond the mess and saw new possibilities.
“Rather than just taking every room and turning it back to what it had been before, the college — very wisely, I think — viewed this as an opportunity,” said Kevin Houser, professor of civil and construction engineering.
At the time, Jay Culbertson, B.S. business administration and management ’72, was looking to make a significant donation to the College of Engineering. A retired executive vice president of Southland Industries and a member of the college’s Academy of Distinguished Engineers, Culbertson says the college had provided “top-notch” employees to his businesses over the years, so he wanted to give back.
Culbertson agreed to fund the development of a new lighting laboratory after speaking with college leadership and the OSU Foundation.
Construction took place over the next two years. Today, the lab is providing “eyes-on” learning opportunities for students.
“There’s a lot baked into this room,” Houser said. “As architectural engineers, we really care about the details of a constructed environment.”
Houser, who arrived in 2019 from Penn State, was Oregon State’s first faculty member in architectural engineering. He leads courses related to lighting, and his research focuses on human perceptions and biological responses to light.
The new teaching lab, previously a computer lab, is designed to visually communicate how to control light’s spatial pattern, intensity, spectrum, and timing. Students in the lab learn at an accelerated pace by comparing the dynamics of light side by side. Previously, this learning was done by visiting different buildings on campus.
Culbertson says the finished lab is a “home run.” He believes it will result in the development of significant technology, and that focusing on lighting and energy will pay dividends for years to come.
“As I walked through the facility I thought, ‘Wow, what a great place!’” Culbertson said. “If I were a student, I’d want to go here to learn about lighting.”
Outside of the lab, there are tremendous job opportunities for students interested in lighting, such as internships with NASA, Pacific Northwest National Labs, museum lighting companies, and firms working with mechanical, electrical, and plumbing design, Houser said. Culbertson and his wife, Leslie, are no strangers to advancing the mission and vision of the college through philanthropic investments. In addition to making the Lighting Lab possible, in 2021, they established the Culbertson Faculty Scholar Endowment in Civil and Construction Engineering, with a focus on architectural engineering. Current scholars are Clotilde Pierson and Parichehr Salimifard, both assistant professors.
And thanks to Jay’s leadership, his and Leslie’s most recent commitment provides the college with much-needed funding intended to help seed the launch of the College of Engineering’s recently completed facilities master plan, Engineering Next. Engineering Next provides the framework and direction for a comprehensive facilities revitalization for the college.
“It’s great to see in my lifetime some of the benefits of donated funds,” said Culbertson, who continues to support priority facility improvement projects in the college.
