Welcome to Boston University’s Engineering Product Innovation Center (EPIC)
EPIC is an impressive 15,000-square-foot, multi-million dollar engineering, and manufacturing facility located in the heart of BU’s Charles River Campus. We have as our mission the following five goals:
- Preparing students to work in and design for the industries of the future
- Enabling students to apply theory to real-world problems in both the virtual and physical space
- Provide a welcoming environment to foster innovation in interdisciplinary teams
- Engaging students, faculty, and industry partners to continually improve our offerings to meet our stakeholders’ changing needs
- Preparing students to work in and design for the industries of the future
- Inspire all students to become future innovators in the fields of design and manufacturing
At EPIC, all members of the BU community can learn the skills necessary to design and build their own ideas, and gain invaluable hands-on experience in design, prototyping, and small-scale manufacturing. EPIC is an integral part of the engineering educational process. Our core freshman through senior classes all uses EPIC to enable students to see how their ideas can become reality.
EPIC is aligned with the mission of the College of Engineering to educate societal engineers who are prepared to step up to the ever-growing need in the US, and abroad, for industry leaders who understand how to develop and manufacture innovative socially responsible new products in a global environment. We are committed to ensuring that everyone feels welcome and that we meet our students at their level of skill whether they are already proficient at using a mill or have never used a drill before.
The center is open to all BU students, regardless of major, to receive valuable training on the entire range of relevant skill sets that are vital to product innovation—design, prototyping, material selection, and manufacturing. The students have access to a wide range of industrial tools and equipment and are helped to learn by the 5 person staff of manufacturing and design experts.
EPIC is more than just the physical space where students can build products. We run short courses, invite industry speakers, host club activities and help students understand the jobs they may have when they graduate. We are guided by two boards: industrial and student. The industrial sponsors bring their expertise and help guide our curriculum and offerings. Our student board helps to ensure we are connecting with all of the students in our community with their ever-changing needs.