SMART Building Readies for Grand Opening

The University System of Maryland at Southern Maryland is close to unveiling its new Southern Maryland Autonomous Research and Technology, or SMART, Building on its campus in California, MD. A grand opening in October is planned.

The 84,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art, academic and research facility features:

• A massive Autonomous Systems research space, which will include sea, air, and land capabilities;
• 16 flexible classrooms to host both classes and other training and professional events;
• High-end technology to meet today’s in-person and virtual learning needs;
• 40-foot ceilings to support unmanned aircraft testing.

The SMART Building at USMSM will not only be an innovative hub for educating Southern Maryland students, but it will also support collaborative, groundbreaking research efforts in the autonomous technologies arena.

“USMSM and its regional partners are expanding their quality undergraduate and graduate education and advanced professional training in Southern Maryland,” said Bonnie Green, executive director of The Patuxent Partnership and a newly appointed member of the USMSM Board of Advisors. “I am particularly enthusiastic about the construction of the SMART Building, the system’s first regional center to house an advanced research program working with Navy assets like the UAS Test Site and others. The R&D capabilities at USMSM are vital to secure the region’s expertise in unmanned and autonomous systems and other emerging fields.”

University System of Maryland at Southern Maryland is at 44215 Airport Road in California. Call 301-737-2500 for more information.

About The Patuxent Partnership

The Patuxent Partnership is a nonprofit member organization that fosters collaboration between government, industry, and academia to advance education through STEM-based initiatives; to advance technology through speaker programs, forums, and networking; to advance science and technology transfer through the exchange of ideas, information, and data related to technologies; and to increase workforce development through an array of initiatives.

To learn more about The Patuxent Partnership and its programs, visit its Leader member page.