Chico State To Celebrate Ribbon Cutting of Gene Haas Advanced Manufacturing Laboratory

For more than a decade, Haas Advanced Manufacturing has embraced Chico State as a pipeline for experienced graduates—not only to support their own workforce but to power the manufacturing industry as a whole. This week, the University will recognize the impact of that partnership, with the dedication of the Gene Haas Advanced Manufacturing Laboratory.

Students, faculty, staff, and campus leadership will join Haas representatives for a ribbon-cutting celebrating the transformation of an existing laboratory into one filled with state-of-the-art machinery and the capacity to support classes across multiple majors and student clubs. A formal program will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, October 11, in the Plumas Hall Courtyard, adjacent to the Gene Haas Advanced Manufacturing Laboratory, followed by a reception and tours of adjacent engineering labs, including the Society of Automotive Engineers Baja Racecar Lab and the Omron Mechatronic Laboratory.

Haas Automation is the largest machine tool builder in the western world, manufacturing a complete line of Computer Numerical Control (CNC) vertical machining centers, horizontal machining centers, CNC lathes, and rotary products. In 2024–25, it made a generous contribution to the College of Engineering, Computer Science, and Construction Management to facilitate a major upgrade to the campus lab.

The lab enhancements include: electricity upgrades to allow for increased capacity for machines, additional equipment, and making the lab an attractive space for prospective students, to excite them further about this in-demand career path.

“The upgrades and equipment that Haas Automation provided will allow our students to support their theoretical knowledge by practicing and realizing their ideas into tangible results,” said University President Steve Perez. “Whether taking the introductory course in manufacturing processes, studying computer-integrated manufacturing, completing capstone projects, or perhaps as a member of one of our incredible student clubs, hundreds of students will be impacted by this generosity every year.”

The Gene Haas Advanced Manufacturing Lab will serve students in three BS degree programs, all delivered by the Department of Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering and Advanced Manufacturing. It will support the most basic fundamental classes up to senior-level courses. The improved lab will bridge the skills gap between industry and the prospective workforce, significantly increasing the number of graduates qualified in manufacturing and growing the pipeline of skilled workers available to become leaders in the industry in North America and beyond.

Junior Ricky Sell and fourth-year student Jaiden Velasquez spend countless hours each week in the Gene Haas Lab as members of the Society for Automotive Engineers Baja Racing Team.

“The investments in this lab have been a godsend,” said Velasquez, a mechanical engineering major. “It enables us to increase capacity, we’re producing complex parts using computer-controlled equipment—the majority of the work we do is in this lab. We make everything that is on the car except the wheels and shocks.”

Many of their teammates get hands-on experience in the lab before going out into the workforce—regardless of their major, said Sell, who is a business administration major with an option in finance.

“It’s just a really good learning opportunity,” Sell said.

“I see it as they are investing in future talent,” Velasquez added. “You can’t prepare a student to go into the workforce unless they have experience in a lot of things. We practice with these tools and then take that knowledge with us out into our lives.”

Charlie Pooler, assistant professor of mechanical and mechatronic engineering and advanced manufacturing, expressed his sincere gratitude to Haas, noting their continued investments have enabled the University to build out the lab and offer more to students than ever before. In addition to the day-to-day impacts, the enhanced lab serves as a compelling recruitment tool for the major and enhances capacity for program growth, he said.

“These things are humming steadily throughout the semester, producing things for projects across the college,” he said, standing in the middle of the lab on a recent afternoon. “Without the investment from Haas, we’d still be status quo.”

Liv Leach, a senior sustainable manufacturing major, has spent many hours hand-coding data with the computer numerical controls to make test parts for various projects. The real-world experience not only elevates her knowledge but her confidence, she said.

“It’s proving you can make the machine do what you want—and I did,” she said. “Being an operator is your step into any engineering industry.”

Leach said working in the Gene Haas Lab makes her feel like she is on the forefront of technology that will eventually become commonplace—and she’s thrilled for the chance to say she was on the ground floor.

“These machines are becoming more and more accessible. Before we know it, we will have tiny ones and it will be something people do like 3D printing—you don’t have to be in plastics to do it; you do it because it’s fun and interesting,” she said. “This is fascinating and important technology, and to be on the forefront of it is so cool.”

Chico State’s project-based mechatronic engineering program was the first of its kind in the California State University system. It, along with our degrees in mechanical engineering and advanced manufacturing provides unparalleled practical learning rooted in fundamentals and executed with real-world activities.