Lisle's Molex opens new lab at North Central College in Naperville

A new feature of North Central College's 2-year-old science facility opened Tuesday through a partnership with the Lisle-based electronic connectors company Molex.

The Molex Advanced Electronics Lab is a space for electrical and engineering-related courses for undergraduates inside the Dr. Myron Wentz Science Center on North Central's Naperville campus.

Officials celebrated the lab during a ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday afternoon, with North Central President Troy Hammond in a news release calling it part of the college's "promise to provide dynamic and integrated educational experiences for our students."

As the newest feature of a $60 million building that opened in 2017, the Molex Lab offers 28 workspaces and electronic test equipment that will allow students to learn about high-speed signaling, power management, high-performance automation systems and robotics.

Molex CEO Joe Nelligan said in a news release he expects the company's support of the new lab will "give students opportunities for hands-on learning and exploration and help them pursue their passion in engineering and technology."

The Wentz Science Center also is home to the Omron Design and Automation Lab, supported by an automation technology company based in Japan, as well as nearly 30 other labs for teaching and research, 15 seminar classrooms, a lecture hall and 53 faculty offices.

Classes began in the new Molex Lab this semester, with students taking courses such as introduction to electrical engineering, digital logic, circuit analysis, microcontrollers and electronic controls.