By The Associated Press

CHICAGO (AP) — The University of Illinois at Chicago has opened a new $43 million engineering facility.

The university held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Monday at the 57,500-square-foot (5,342-square-meter) Engineering Innovation Building. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot joined University of Illinois President Tim Killeen and other officials as well as students and faculty for the event.

The university says enrollment in engineering programs has skyrocketed. The College of Engineering now has an enrollment of more than 5,000 students. That’s almost double what it was a decade ago.

Michael Amiridis is UIC chancellor. He says the facility will help attract top academic talent and strengthen ties with local business and industry.

Among the building’s features is a high-bay structural research lab, where researchers and government agencies can test large-scale structural components such as roads and bridges.