Lasting Impressions | Summer 2016

26 x NSU LASTING IMPRESSIONS footprint to allow for wide aisles and for all students to sit in the center of the room. This is the only such simulation lab in the United States. The NSU administration pushed this project “as an investment for the future. We must be competitive, with the latest technology and innovations in oral health education,” said Linda Niessen, D.M.D., M.P.H., M.P.P., dean of the College of Dental Medicine. The renovated lab is also an excellent recruit- ing tool, attracting top-quality students and faculty members to the CDM. “Our students are proud of the lab, and they are showing it off to those who are considering coming here. Those potential students recognize the CDM’s innova- tive approach to education,” said Niessen. Peter Keller, D.D.S., CDM executive associate dean, oversaw the Simulation Lab’s renovation. After testing by students and faculty members, simulation units were purchased from Midmark Corporation in Versailles, Ohio. Midmark assembled the units with equipment from Saratoga Dental of Italy and Bien-Air of Switzerland. The final product was designed by Pininfarina, which is the main designer for Ferrari and Lamborghini automobiles. ACAI Associates Inc. also was integral in the lab’s archi- tectural design. Adolfo Cotilla, president of ACAI and a long-time supporter of NSU, “personally assured us that everything would be done in time for the architectural drawings to be completed and approved by the city to meet our narrow window of construction. He was able to keep the design of the lab aesthetically intact while dealing with myriad support columns and the lab’s utility needs,” added Keller. “The Simulation Lab, which also offers a naming opportunity for a donor, is the first step in the college’s renovation,” said Niessen. “The CDM will continue to move forward.” ◆ Top: Assisted by dental students, Linda Niessen, CDM dean, demonstrates a handpiece to Adolfo Cotilla of ACAI Associates; Marc Crocquet, vice president for business services; and Joel Slingbaum, D.M.D., assistant CDM professor, in the Simulation Lab. Below: Fourth-year dental student Alex Verga shows the Simulation Lab to George L. Hanbury II, NSU president and chief executive officer.