Ravinder K. Bansal of Clarence, Walter P. Cooke Award

The AirSep Corporation in Amherst made a significant investment in alumni from UB's School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and its chair and chief executive officer, Ravinder K. Bansal, has in turn made a significant investment in the school.

The majority of AirSep's senior engineering and research and development staff are UB alumni, assisting the company to become the world's leading manufacturer of PSA-oxygen-generating equipment for use in the industrial and home health-care fields.

Bansal was a key contributor and participant in three early discussions surrounding the planning of a new engineering building on UB's North (Amherst) Campus: the feasibility study, a presentation of the study's results and presentation on plans for the new building.

Additionally, Bansal and his wife, Pratibha Bansal, M.D., have made a $500,000 gift to the school that will be used for costs associated with the new building. In recognition, UB will name the building's planned atrium in their honor. The couple's gift reflects their confidence in the future of UB's engineering program, the vision to attract the top students and pursue new partnerships, innovations and research opportunities that will positively impact the Western New York region, New York State and beyond.

The Bansals' leadership gift was among the campaign's first, and has encouraged others to become involved. Additionally, Bansal has offered to personally urge other leading prospects to participate.

"We're proud of the developments and initiatives being undertaken by the school of engineering and wanted to support the school because there is great promise for the region, the state and for national economies that are becoming increasingly dependent on science and technology," Bansal said.

Slated to open in 2011, the new engineering building will modernize programs and facilities for the departments of Computer Science and Engineering and Electrical Engineering. The planned 130,000-square-foot structure will boast a "clean room" for intricate work with nanodevices, a "cybortorium" with sophisticated communications devices and smart technology, flexible research labs, classrooms and meeting areas for interdisciplinary work.

AirSep was a recipient of the U.S. Department of Commerce's Export Achievement Award in 2002, which recognizes businesses that take advantage of services offered through the department and that also strive for trade relations and export excellence.

The company's two divisions meet a wide variety of respiratory and commercial needs in more than 100 countries.