See Construction Progress on MSOE’s New Engineering Center

Future three-story lobby at Robert D. Kern Engineering Innovation Center. Photo taken Nov. 2, 2026 by Jeramey Jannene. The walls are going up. The barriers are coming down. The Milwaukee School of Engineering is betting that its new $76.5 million Robert D. Kern Engineering Innovation Center will foster better collaboration across all its engineering programs. In addition to a mix of modern classrooms and labs, the 97,000-square-foot building will house the university’s Center for Applied Artificial Intelligence Education. The center is designed to promote collaboration and best practices in integrating artificial intelligence education and training into the university s degree programs. We re removing barriers, said DeAnne Leitzke, chair of the Civil and Architectural Engineering and Construction Management Department, during a tour Monday afternoon. The engineering departments previously worked together, but on an ad hoc basis and often from separate physical spaces. The center will