Russ Research Opportunity Center opens new doors for students, faculty
Ohio University students, faculty and staff, along with state and local leaders, celebrated the grand opening of the state-of-the-art Russ Research Opportunity Center on April 17, 2025.
Story by Samantha Pelham, Photos by Rich-Joseph Facun and Ben Wirtz Siegel | April 24, 2025
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Dedicated to supporting research within the Russ College of Engineering and Technology, the Russ Research Opportunity Center (RROC) is now home to several research centers and institutes, including the Institute for Sustainable Energy and the Environment, the Center for Advanced Materials Processing and the Ohio Research Institute for Transportation and the Environment.
The 60,000 square-foot RROC facility will house approximately 20 research groups who will conduct more than $4.5 million in annual research funding. The adaptive design within RROC laboratories allows for alterations to space and functionality in response to evolving needs.
The development of the state-of-the-art facility was made possible through the vision and generosity of Fritz and Dolores Russ. Transformed from a 1920s West Union Street office center, the RROC represents thoughtful transformation and a commitment to progress and purpose.
This center is more than just a building. It’s a space where ideas collide and interdisciplinary collaboration happens on the cutting edge of research.
“Today is a big day in the history of the Russ College as we celebrate the opening of the Russ Research Opportunity Center—a landmark for southeast Ohio, as this is a one-of-a-kind facility in this part of the state," said Russ College of Engineering and Technology Dean Patrick Fox during the Grand Opening ceremony.
The ceremony featured remarks from leaders from the University and state, including Dean Fox, Ohio University President Lori Stewart Gonzalez, Ohio University Board of Trustees member Dick Dickerson, Lieutenant Governor Jim Tressel and OHIO alumnus and former state representative Jay Edwards.
Tressel shared his pride in OHIO's faculty and students, especially in the incredible research they are doing to improve the lives of people in the region and around the world. He emphasized the Russ College's motto, "Create for good," noting that universities bring people together from different backgrounds and communities to learn and work together, and when students graduate from OHIO they are equipped to go out and create good in the world.
Create for good. That is what's going on in this building and what will leave this center.
The RROC is home to a wide range of research initiatives, and even the speaker platform in the building for the grand opening event was constructed using decking boards from new materials developed at OHIO through a research project led by Russ Professor of Mechanical Engineering Jason Trembly.
“This shows how our research is powering the next generation of manufacturing in Ohio," Fox said.
During the Grand Opening event, Mary Steinberg, daughter of Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Education Professor Eric Steinberg, used paint pigments from True Pigments to do a live painting of the new research facility. Russ College Professor Guy Riefler helped to develop the True Pigments paints.
Ohio University is one of a select number of institutions recognized as a Carnegie R1 Research University. This new facility will help to maintain that distinction by housing top-tier researchers and providing students with hands-on research opportunities.
The RROC facility will be used to conduct state-of-the-art research in key areas of energy, sustainability, transportation and semiconductors, and will strengthen OHIO’s position as a Carnegie R1 research university.
The facility currently features wet laboratories, analytical laboratories, a semi-clean room, a machine shop, chemical neutralization, a 3D printer and storage and three-phase power throughout. The facility provides room for expansion as the RCET adds additional research capability and further expands its portfolio.
