Breaking Ground on the Future of Undergraduate Research

On May 3, Cal Poly broke ground on what will be one of the centerpiece facilities on campus: the William and Linda Frost Center for Research and Innovation (name pending CSU Board of Trustees approval). A groundbreaking ceremony marked the start of work on the building, which was previously referred to as the Science and Agriculture Teaching and Research Complex. 

The four-story, 102,000-square-foot complex will feature configurable classrooms, hands-on learning programs and cutting-edge laboratory space dedicated to undergraduate research for the College of Science and Mathematics; the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences; and the College of Liberal Arts. The complex will also include conference rooms and faculty offices.

In this new space, the more than 1,000 undergraduate science and mathematics students who engage in faculty-mentored research each year will learn and work side-by-side with professors. The facility will improve an already top undergraduate research program by giving more students access to state-of-the-art laboratories and equipment. These facilities will allow students to discover answers to real-world questions and make contributions to scientific and mathematical knowledge.

“The Frost Center will make a tremendous impact on student-faculty research in the College of Science and Mathematics,” said Dean Wendt, dean of the college. “This dedicated research space will provide the state-of-the-art facilities that students need to deeply engage in scientific and mathematical discovery and innovation.”

These enhanced Learn by Doing opportunities for students across the university are possible thanks to generous gifts from multiple donors. The lead gift of $30 million came from William and Linda Frost. 

The College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences’ portion of the project, called the Boswell Ag Tech Center, will enable research and discovery to help train tomorrow's leaders in food innovation, food safety and experience design.

Students from the College of Liberal Arts will collaborate at the intersection of art, humanities and technology in the Jack and Felicia Cashin Expressive Technology Studios.

The Frost Center is scheduled to open for research and classes in fall 2021.