Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Nexus founder donates $10M for Wentworth student center

By Mass High Tech Staff

Wentworth Institute of Technology reports it has landed a $10 million gift from an alumnus. The school plans to use the money to build a student center, which will be named after the donor, William Flanagan.

In 1961, Flanagan founded Nexus Inc., a maker of audio plugs, jacks and push-button switches for the communications industry in Stamford, Conn. Flanagan graduated from Wentworth’s machine construction and tool design program in 1951. Last year, Flanagan sold Nexus to Amphenol Corp., and its name changed to Amphenol Nexus Technologies.

At Wentworth, Flanagan used the machine parts laboratory to make parts for his race car, which he drove professionally, the school said.

The school is also building a nanotechnology lab that will be used by the school’s electronic and mechanical engineering students, as well as by a medical devices program starting in 2009. Wentworth invested about $250,000 to renovate an existing room, outfitting it with a deposition machine, which can be used to shoot nanoparticles at gold and silver at low temperatures; and safety equipment including a fume hood, oxygen level sensors, and protective clothing.

Founded in 1904, Wentworth offers 13 bachelor’s degree programs including architecture, computer science and systems, construction management, design, engineering, engineering technology, environmental science, and management.