James S. Tyler Jr. ’65 D.Eng. supports Yale CEID

James S. Tyler Jr. ’65 D.Eng  has made a new $20 million commitment to support the Center for Engineering Innovation and Design (CEID), a program and design laboratory serving Yale’s School of Engineering & Applied Sciences (SEAS) and the greater Yale community. The generous contribution will establish and endow a director’s resource fund, which will help sustain the activities of the center in perpetuity.

In 2015, Tyler endowed the directorship of the CEID; Vincent Wilczynski, deputy dean of SEAS, is currently serving a four-year term as the inaugural James S. Tyler Director.

“I am deeply grateful for Dr. Tyler’s magnificent and continuing support of this program,” Wilczynski said. “The CEID is a space where students gain the skills they need to solve today’s technological problems. It is a vital place for engineers, and students from all disciplines, who are interested in creative problem solving. The James S. Tyler Resource Fund will keep the CEID on the cutting edge of technology, pedagogy, and innovation in the years to come.”

Occupying the first floor of Becton Center, the CEID is an 8,700-square-foot design laboratory, comprised of an open studio and lecture hall, meeting rooms, a wood and metal shop, and a wet lab. The center is equipped for a range of projects, with 3-D printers, traditional hand tools, electronics workstations, modern manufacturing equipment, digital tools, and varied raw materials students can use to create their own design solutions.

Since its founding in 2012, more than 3,000 Yale students, professors, and members of the university staff have become members of the CEID; nearly 60% are Yale College students representing diverse majors. They participate in a broad range of courses, activities, and events: Workshops allow students to build skills through hands-on projects, while guest lectures, tech talks, and social events draw people from all over Yale to share ideas. In addition, SEAS has launched several design classes taught entirely at the CEID, including foundational courses for new engineering students, capstone projects for seniors, and mid-level courses open to all Yale students.

“In three short years the CEID has become a national model of learning and a signature part of Yale’s engineering community,” Tyler said. “I am pleased to support the center and its important work of preparing tomorrow’s leaders in engineering and innovation.”

T. Kyle Vanderlick, SEAS dean and the Thomas E. Golden Jr. Professor of Engineering, also expressed her gratitude for Tyler’s contribution: “Jim Tyler stands among our most generous and dedicated engineering alumni. His farsighted commitment for the CEID will provide evergreen funding that sustains optimal operations at the center: a robust supply of human capital, advanced equipment, and innovative programming. Jim’s gift will enable the CEID to keep pace with the advance of design and innovation on campus. This support is vital for SEAS and its mission of excellence in teaching and learning, both for our engineering majors and for students across the university.”