Autodesk Donates $1.95M To Howard University To Prepare Student Engineers For AI-Powered Roles

Howard University has received a donation to support future engineers.

According to a press release shared with AFROTECH, the Historically Black College and University (HBCU) received a $1.95 million unrestricted donation from Autodesk to support its construction engineering and management program. The program is set to provide students with the education to be leaders of advanced construction projects through the entire lifecycle, anchored by engineering expertise, design thinking, and digital construction skills.

Autodesk’s donation, which supported equipment, technology, and educational programming, coincided with the grand opening of the school’s 3,400-square-foot CEA (College of Engineering and Architecture) Makerspace. In 2024, Autodesk donated a historic $5 million toward the space, which now features a digital fabrication and advanced manufacturing area, a computer and design lab, and a collaboration zone, according to the press release.

The makerspace will provide students with collaborative opportunities in engineering, design, advanced manufacturing technologies, architecture, computer science, business, and more.

“This investment reflects the strength of our partnership with Autodesk and our shared commitment to preparing students to lead in a technology-driven world,” said Wayne A. I. Frederick, M.D., MBA, interim president and president emeritus of Howard University, in the news release. “At Howard University, we are grounded in a longstanding tradition of intellectual rigor and a commitment to innovation, ensuring our students are not only learning, but doing, with the tools and experiences to make an immediate impact.”

The grand opening advances the university’s goal of using the makerspace to prepare students for the workforce, ensuring they are adequately equipped for AI-powered roles across architecture, engineering, design, and construction, the release noted. This comes at a time when nearly half of U.S. college students say they do not feel equipped with AI skills to secure a job, according to Autodesk’s Career Readiness Report. At the same time, 70% want to take more classes that reflect real-world issues, and less than 40% believe they have access to the industry-grade tools that will be applied in their careers, per the report.

Howard University aims to eliminate these gaps by providing students with programming and access to the tools and technologies shaping today’s workforce. The makerspace will have AI-powered design software and digital fabrication equipment to help students turn ideas into prototypes. Additionally, students will be able to use “advanced prototyping equipment, industry-grade computer-aided engineering (CAE) software, and virtual reality (VR) capabilities,” per the release.

There will be collaborative projects and senior capstone projects, such as Formula SAE and AeroDesign. The makerspace will also host SAE International’s A World in Motion (AWIM) PreK-12 STEM program to educate future engineers.

“Our partnership with Howard University is rooted in a shared belief: that talent is everywhere, but opportunity isn’t yet,” said Dara Treseder, Autodesk’s chief marketing officer, in the news release. “We’re committed to supporting Howard students and neighboring communities with the tools and technology they need to step into the jobs of the future. Howard’s unwavering commitment to excellence, service, and truth is what makes this partnership possible.”

Treseder continued, “They are turning academic excellence into economic possibility, and Autodesk is proud to stand beside them. This is what happens when we stop talking about expanding opportunity and start building the spaces where it lives.”

The post Autodesk Donates $1.95M To Howard University To Prepare Student Engineers For AI-Powered Roles appeared first on AfroTech.

The post Autodesk Donates $1.95M To Howard University To Prepare Student Engineers For AI-Powered Roles appeared first on AfroTech.