Funding for the project, dubbed Advancing Manufacturing and Building Construction Technologies (NSF AMT), comes via an NSF Engines Development award through the NSF Regional Innovation Engines program, setting them up to pursue an NSF Engine award of up to $160 million – the largest award ever offered by the NSF. AMT is led by the , and core partners include UofL, the Kentucky Community and Technical College System and trade organizations, such as ASTRO America.

“When Kentucky’s businesses are able to leverage groundbreaking innovations from our leading institutions, like the University of Louisville, our entire economy stands to gain,”��said U.S. Senator Mitch��McConnell, who helped secure the funding for the AMT coalition.

Together, the partners will develop a regional plan to improve use of and innovation in additive manufacturing technology, also known as 3-D printing, which can help manufacturers reduce part lead times, material costs, energy usage and waste. Louisville alone more than 2,400 manufacturing firms in areas ranging from food and beverage to automotive, with a total workforce of more than 82,500.��

“By focusing on advancing sustainable additive manufacturing technologies, this project has the potential to support expansion and attract companies and additional high-wage, high-skilled jobs for our commonwealth,” said Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear. “These kinds of initiatives add to the remarkable strides being made by Kentucky’s entrepreneurs, companies and colleges and universities toward building our state’s future economy. Congratulations to the AMT team for securing this award and both demonstrating and improving Kentucky’s competitiveness and capacity for research and innovation.”

As part of NSF AMT, UofL will leverage its top-notch degree and technology badging programs to build a qualified workforce and its research and innovation strength to further technological innovation. This includes connection to the UofL-based (KY-MEP) statewide resource center, along with labs, including the multi-disciplinary . Over the next year, UofL also will host a series of events, workshops and demonstrations to engage businesses and showcase the potential of additive manufacturing.

“The innovative research we produce at UofL becomes most meaningful when applied to advancements that improve our community,” said UofL President Kim Schatzel. “We’re proud to continue working with our partners to translate our additive manufacturing knowledge into solutions that revolutionize the way we manufacture everything from medication to computer chips.”

UofL and partners also were recently awarded a $1 million NSF Engines Development grant, dubbed Generate Advanced Manufacturing Excellence for Change (GAME Change), aimed at securing economic competitiveness throughout the Southeastern Commerce Corridor (SCC) of Kentucky and Tennessee, with a focus on next-generation and advanced manufacturing, supply chain and logistics, more durable and sustainable materials and more. NSF Engines Development awards are meant to help applicants prepare for an NSF Engines proposal.��

“UofL is committed to empowering small and medium enterprises in our region with the latest advancements in additive manufacturing,” said Will Metcalf, UofL associate vice president for research and innovation and partner on NSF AMT. “Through our NSF Engines Development award and other efforts, we will engage in training and outreach to help these businesses thrive in an increasingly competitive market.”

Launched by NSF’s new Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships and authorized by the “CHIPS and Science Act of 2022,” the NSF Engines program uniquely harnesses the nation’s science and technology research and development enterprise and regional-level resources. NSF Engines aspire to catalyze robust partnerships to positively impact regional economies, accelerate technology development, address societal challenges, advance national competitiveness and create local, high-wage jobs.

“We are eager to continue the work and build upon the partnerships we developed as part of our initial NSF Engines proposal through this�� award,” said KSTC President Terry Samuel. “It is a testament to the importance and potential of both our region and additive manufacturing technologies.”

The four-story, 114,000-square-foot building, sitting just behind the complex on Eastern Parkway, will include classrooms, a makerspace, high-tech lab facilities and room for events and student engagement. The $90 million project is supported by $65 million in state funding and $3 million in private donations, with a fundraising campaign on-going to secure the balance.

“UofL has long led the charge in driving innovation, economic growth and providing students with the education and experience they need to succeed in the real world,” said President Kim Schatzel. “With this new state-of-the-art building, we accelerate those efforts, creating bold new opportunities for our students, researchers and the Commonwealth.”��

The additional space will support UofL efforts to fill Kentucky’s talent pipeline with STEM graduates who are prepared to harness disruptive technologies across a range of industries, including cybersecurity, electric vehicles, renewable energy, advanced manufacturing and many more. While the Kentucky’s production of these critical workers has grown, it still lags behind neighboring states and the national average.��

“Extending Kentucky’s record-breaking economic momentum depends on our ability to innovate and strengthen our workforce,” Gov. Andy Beshear said. “This new investment and partnership with UofL shows our commitment to being a destination for talented people and businesses looking to succeed in the key industries of the future.”

The building will also house a number of cutting-edge research labs aimed at providing hands-on learning opportunities, developing new technologies and collaborating with industry. That includes , whose work drives discovery, advancements and new products in solar, biofuels and energy storage, efficiency and materials.

“Conn Center forges partnerships and inspires many students to address global energy challenges,” said center Director Mahendra Sunkara. “With this new space, we can accelerate the technology necessary to make Louisville a global leader in energy research, one that positively impacts the regional economy.”

Louisville is a hub for engineering and manufacturing, being with a total workforce of more than 82,500. With this new building, UofL can help maintain that positive momentum by spurring new breakthroughs and generating ready to solve problems and lead.

“Louisville is poised for enormous growth, and UofL research and graduates are a key part of our ongoing and future success,” said Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg. “I’m proud to support this investment in UofL, Louisville’s top-tier research university, that will create new opportunities for people and businesses throughout our city.”

Construction is already underway and is expected to be complete in summer 2025, just in time for the Speed School’s centennial celebration. Founded in 1925, the school has since grown enrollment to more than 2,700 undergraduate and graduate students pursuing degrees across eight engineering disciplines.��

“The Speed School has a well-earned century-long reputation as a place for ideas that will transform and reimagine our world,” said Dean Emmanuel Collins. “This new building will be a game changer for student success, our cutting-edge research and more. We’re both dreamers and doers, and this new facility is a place for both.”��

The facility was designed by Luckett & Farley in collaboration with SmithGroup and Whittenberg Construction is the general contractor. UofL is launching a fundraising campaign to secure remaining capital needed to complete the project. Learn more and donate at��.

“The new tower will reduce capacity constraints and increase access to UofL Hospital’s specialized care, progressive academic research and innovative treatments,” said Tom Miller, UofL Health CEO. “As Kentucky’s largest academic health care system, UofL Health is building the future of health care, to transform the health of the communities we serve, the Commonwealth and the region.”

The hospital expansion also will lead to an expansion of the UofL Health team, with approximately 325 new jobs being created. Positions will include nurses, plus clinical and non-clinical support. New hires and their dependents are immediately eligible for����funded by UofL Health.

The investments at UofL Hospital are part of an overall commitment to increase access to care in the region, particularly in federally medically underserved areas (MUAs). Over the past two years, UofL Health has opened five Urgent Care Plus locations, added two new locations for the Brown Cancer Center and recruited more than 143 new physicians. Two of the urgent cares, a cancer center location and more than 100 physicians are specifically located to serve people living in MUAs. In addition, UofL Health recently announced the building of a new rehabilitation hospital called UofL Health – Frazier Rehabilitation Institute – Brownsboro, in partnership with Kindred Healthcare, and is evolving a medical center into a full-service hospital in Bullitt County.

“UofL Health has been an outstanding Team Kentucky partner in the fight against COVID-19, and this expansion is great news for Louisville and the commonwealth,” said Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear. “Increasing UofL Hospital’s staff and capacity will make it possible for more Kentuckians to get great care, alleviate the burden on other hospitals in busy times and help train the next generation of Kentucky physicians, nurses and other health care professionals. To develop our workforce, it’s important to make higher education more affordable. That’s why UofL Health’s commitment to providing free tuition to employees and their families is such a critical step and one that’s deeply appreciated.”

UofL Hospital is the primary teaching and research hospital for UofL Health, affiliated with the University of Louisville. Its Level 1 Trauma Center, one of only two adult trauma centers in the state, includes a comprehensive burn unit and admits more than 3,500 patients each year. The hospital is home to Kentucky’s first Comprehensive Stroke Center and includes UofL Health –��. The cancer center specializes in treating cancers of the nervous system, breast, gastrointestinal and reproductive systems, head and neck, lungs and skin. UofL Hospital is part of one of only 120 academic medical centers in the country.

“By expanding UofL Hospital to meet today’s medical needs, we are also investing to grow the physicians, nurses and other allied health professionals of tomorrow,” said Lori Gonzalez, University of Louisville interim president. “The updated facility will complement the renowned reputation of our academic physicians.”

The hospital is licensed to operate up to 404 beds, but the existing facility limited operating capacity to 340 over the last several years. The combined impact of the additional beds and the observation unit creates room for nearly 50 more patients and reduces wait times as patients transition between different levels of care. The seven-story tower expansion will also include the infrastructure to accommodate two more floors for future growth.

“I’m thrilled to see UofL Health make yet another exciting investment that will improve care, expand access, and further grow our city’s already outstanding health care workforce. This new seven-story tower will help ensure that state-of-the-art, patient-centered care will be the hallmark of UofL Hospital for years to come,” said Kentucky Rep. John Yarmuth. “As our state’s leading academic health care system and teaching hospital, I’m proud of the work being done here in Louisville to improve the lives of Kentuckians—whether they enter these doors as patients or as the medical professionals of tomorrow.”

“This expansion of vital health care resources, right here in our city’s core, is great news for people who need the kind of specialized services that UofL Health provides,” said Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer. “Thank you to the UofL Health leadership and team for all your hard work, your passion and your commitment to our city and its residents.”

More than 1.5 million patients seek care through UofL Health each year, with patients from each of Kentucky’s 120 counties.

“This expansion means we can better support both our community and hospitals in other communities,” said Ken Marshall, UofL Health chief operating officer. “When we are full, we can deliver the care to our patients that is expected of us. We are building to allow more patients to benefit from the expertise of UofL Physicians and our clinical teams.”

Construction is expected to begin this spring, with the tower opening to its first patients in early 2024.

Financing for the project will involve a mixture of internal capital investment, tax-free bond financing, hospital revenue bonds and private donations. Those interested in supporting the project are encouraged to visit��

The investigational device, currently intended as a bridge to heart transplant, is part of an Early Feasibility Study (EFS) sponsored by CARMAT, a French medical device company, in partnership with UofL, UofL Health – Jewish Hospital and the UofL Health – Trager Transplant Center.

Led by cardiothoracic surgeons Mark Slaughter and Siddharth Pahwa, both of UofL Health – UofL Physicians and the UofL School of Medicine, the team performed the implant of the device on Sept. 14, 2021 at UofL Health – Jewish Hospital. The same team completed the nation’s second implantation in a male patient last month, also at Jewish Hospital.

“For the other half of the world’s population, completion of this procedure by the Jewish Hospital team brings new hope for extended life,” said Slaughter, UofL Health surgical director of heart transplant and professor and chair of the Department of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery in the UofL School of Medicine. “Size limitations can make it harder to implant artificial hearts in women, but the Aeson artificial heart is compact enough to fit inside the smaller chest cavities more frequently found in women, which gives hope to a wider variety of men and women waiting for a heart transplant and increases the chances for success.”

More than 3,500 individuals are awaiting a heart transplant in the U.S. and 900 of them are women. There are few treatment options for patients with biventricular heart disease, meaning both the left and right sides of the heart are not pumping blood adequately. The Aeson device is designed to solve the limitations of current left-ventricular assist devices, which pump blood in just one chamber, by pumping blood in both heart chambers.

Aeson also contains pressure sensors that estimate the patient’s blood pressure and automatically adapts cardiac output according to the sensor information. It is fully implanted as a heart replacement and powered by a portable external power supply.

During this procedure, the Aeson total artificial heart was implanted into a 57-year-old Kentucky woman with severe biventricular heart failure during an eight-hour surgery. The recipient, whose identity is being withheld upon request, was referred to the Advanced Heart Failure Therapies Program at Jewish Hospital earlier this year with end-stage heart failure and had undergone cardiac surgery years before. The patient is recovering well in the cardiovascular intensive care unit. Jewish Hospital is just one of four programs in the nation approved to perform this clinical trial procedure.

“The varying pumping ability of the Aeson device increases its viability among more patients,” said Pahwa, UofL Physicians cardiothoracic surgeon and assistant professor in the UofL Department of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery. “While other devices are set at a fixed rate or create a continuous flow, CARMAT has developed the Aeson to automatically adjust the flow, creating an improved performance to meet the body’s changing blood flow needs.”

Currently, the Aeson artificial heart is tested as a bridge to transplant for patients with end-stage biventricular heart failure, allowing more time for the patient to receive a permanent heart organ transplant. The device already has been approved for such use in Europe, where approximately 20 devices have been implanted. It currently is being tested in the U.S. as part of a feasibility study approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The first Aeson artificial heart in North America was implanted in a male patient in July at Duke University Medical Center. The second implantation, also in a male patient, was performed at Jewish Hospital in August. This third North American implantation is the first to involve a female patient.

“Even as we have fought this deadly pandemic, our researchers and health care providers have also been on the front lines of improving care and quality of life for not only Kentuckians, but for people around the world,” said Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear. “I am proud that UofL, Jewish Hospital and their doctors are leading the world in implanting this promising and innovative device that could offer hope and time to thousands of people, including our wives, mothers and other loved ones, in coming years.”

Stéphane Piat, chief executive officer of CARMAT, said, “This third implant in the U.S. was a landmark event not only because it allowed us to finalize the enrollment of the first cohort of patients of the EFS, but very importantly because it is the first time ever that our device has helped a woman suffering from heart failure. This achievement confirms that the size limitations for adults are minimal, which makes us very confident in Aeson’s potential to become a therapy of choice for a broad patient population.”

Preclinical research for CARMAT’s artificial heart began at UofL more than five years ago. Researchers at UofL’s Cardiovascular Innovation Institute tested Aeson’s autoregulation capability, which allows the device to adapt its flows according to the patient’s needs by detecting changes of pressure in the device. UofL researchers have conducted preclinical testing of artificial heart components and mechanical assist devices at CII for many years, testing some portion of nearly every mechanical assist device that is commercially available today.

Jewish Hospital and the University of Louisville share a storied history in advancing heart care. Highlights include:

• Aug. 24, 1984: Kentucky’s first heart transplant performed at Jewish Hospital by UofL physicians
• July 2, 2001: The world’s first AbioCor artificial heart was implanted at Jewish Hospital by UofL physicians, led by cardiothoracic surgeon Laman Gray
• Dec. 21, 2011: Kentucky’s first transcatheter aortic-valve replacement performed at Jewish Hospital by UofL physicians
• Jan. 18, 2015: Kentucky’s first HeartMate 3��left ventricular assist device implanted at Jewish Hospital by UofL physicians
• Feb. 21, 2018: UofL Health – Trager Transplant Center’s 500^th heart transplant performed at Jewish Hospital
• June 14, 2019: The first EvaHeart2 LVAD implanted as bridge to transplant at UofL Health – Trager Transplant Center
• April 22, 2021: UofL Health – Trager Transplant Center’s 1000^th TAVR performed at Jewish Hospital

“This world-first artificial heart implant into a female patient is another demonstration of UofL Health’s commitment to provide both the world-class care of today and develop the world-class standards of tomorrow,” said John Walsh, chief administrative officer of Jewish Hospital. “We celebrate this first as a milestone and recognize the hard work of Drs. Slaughter and Pahwa and the entire team. The true impact of their work will be measured in the dozens, hundreds and thousands of lives improved in the years to come.”

The patient who received the nation’s second Aeson implant, on Aug. 20, 2021, continues to improve at Jewish Hospital. An update is expected in the coming weeks.

The��program aims to bridge the divide between research and practice by covering a comprehensive list of topics, including social services, therapy, elder law, social entrepreneurship, tech startups, music therapy, interior design, health care management, government, physical therapy, nursing, psychiatry, biological sciences, sociology and geriatric medicine.

The event will also include networking and professional growth opportunities.

Keynote speakers are:

• Hon. Andrew Beshear, JD, Kentucky Attorney General
• Bob Blancato, MPA, executive director of the National Association of Nutrition and Aging Services Programs
• Sandy Markwood, CEO, National Association of Area Agencies on Aging

Irving B. Perlstein Gerontology Lectureship

Also serving as keynote speakers are Gregory Jicha, professor, UK Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, and Christopher Callahan, director, IU Center for Aging Research. They will deliver the Irving B. Perlstein Gerontology Lectureship. Their focus will be on Alzheimer’s Disease.��

Dr. Perlstein was a member of the Medical Staff at Jewish Hospital during his career. He specialized in internal medicine and was recognized for his significant research on aging and thyroid dysfunction. He died in 1995 and this lectureship was created by his family as a living memorial to him and his commitment to his patients and healthcare.��

Additionally, former UofL and NBA basketball player Darrell Griffith, “Dr. Dunkenstein,” will serve as the event’s honorary chair and Optimal Aging catalyst during the event. Griffith will be introduced in the beginning of the conference.

Continuing education credit is available for a variety of professionals, including MDs, social workers, nurses and long-term care administrators.

The conference is��June 11-13 at the Galt House Hotel on the Louisville waterfront. This conference is jointly hosted by the����and the��.

For more information or to register, visit the����website.��

Kentucky Attorney General Andy Beshear wants to change that. On March 22, he came to the Belknap Campus to announce that his office is launching a video contest for students to help raise awareness of campus sexual assaults and aid in their prevention.

Details of Beshear’s “Voice of Justice” video contest can be found on the attorney general’s website, ag.ky.gov. The competition has two $500 prizes — one awarded by a panel of experts, another based on the video that gets the most views. Submissions are due April 1.

“What I love about this contest is that it’s students protecting students,” Beshear said Wednesday at a news conference in the Ekstrom Library’s Bingham Poetry Room.

Joining Beshear in announcing the contest was Student Government Association President Aaron Vance. He said his goal is to ensure that sexual assault “isn’t taken lightly on any college campus.”

The University of Louisville offers a variety of services for victims of sexual violence and harassment through the PEACC Center. PEACC stands for Prevention, ����ֱ��, Advocacy on Campus and Community.

That programming reaches thousands of students each year, according to PEACC Center Director Sally Evans. She said that any report made to the center “matters and is taken seriously.”

Video from Beshear’s UofL visit is included below:��