Autodesk joined students, faculty, partners, and members of Congress at California State University, Northridge (CSUN) to cut the ribbon on the new Autodesk Technology Engagement Center (ATEC)—a campus hub designed to empower students and the community to thrive in Design and Make careers.
The two-story, 32,000-square-foot space will train students and the surrounding community in AI for social good, making it one of the only campuses in the nation to combine hands-on STEM and AI skills training with interdisciplinary learning, all under one roof.
The grand opening of a transformative hub
On Friday, August 22nd, CSUN and Autodesk leaders along with community members were joined by Congresswoman Luz Rivas (CA-29) and former Congressman Tony Cárdenas (CA-29) for the official ribbon cutting of the ATEC. Along with more than $7 million in support from Autodesk, Rivas and Cárdenas, along with US Sen. Alex Padilla, helped secure $25 million in state funds to bring the ATEC to life.
The community got a glimpse of what students will be building here:
- In the Digital Capture Lab, Autodesk ambassador and CSUN lecturer Elliott Sadler brought the future to life with a Tandem Digital Twin activation, complete with a short video reel.
- In the maker space, student peer mentors demonstrated GlowForge laser cutting, producing custom CSUN logo bookmarks as part of the “Imagine It. Design It. Make It.” showcase.
- And in the Additive Manufacturing and Reverse Engineering Lab, Professor Peter Bishay’s team shared their groundbreaking work on robotic smart prosthetics, designing an arm the same size as a natural limb, with full wrist, elbow, and finger movement.
Nearly 70% of CSUN students are the first in their families to go to college, and the school is among the top five in the country for graduating underrepresented students in STEM. The ATEC will be the first time many of these students gain access to cutting-edge tools, mentors, and hands-on training—the kinds of opportunities that can launch their careers in Design and Make.
A center for Design and Make excellence
The ATEC will be open to every student on campus, bringing together programs from the College of Engineering & Computer Science, plus STEAM and innovation programs that reach local K-12 schools.
It will also be home to the Global Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) Innovation Hub—the first center of its kind in the country—created to open more equitable pathways into education and technology across the CSU system and beyond. Autodesk is proud to be part of that mission.
Inside, students will find six cutting-edge labs, from AI and AR/VR to advanced manufacturing and the High Bay Structural Lab, the only place in California where students can test critical infrastructure projects like earthquake resiliency.
CSUN students were involved from the very beginning and given real influence in shaping the vision and priorities of the ATEC. The space is meant to feel alive with their energy, their needs, and their ambition.
Closing the skills gap
Students today don’t feel prepared for jobs of the future. Autodesk’s recent Career Readiness report* found that nearly half of U.S. college students don’t believe they’re learning the right AI skills to land a job, 70% say they want classes focused on solving real-world problems, and less than 40% feel they have access to the industry-grade tools they’ll be expected to use on the job.
Spaces like the ATEC are designed to change that, giving students the hands-on access to technology, mentorship, and real-world training they’ve been asking for.
The ATEC opening marks an important step forward in our work to equip the next generation of Design and Make leaders for their careers, serving as a tangible example of industry, government, and academia working together to expand opportunity for those who need it most.
