Caruth Hall will be home to the Lockheed Martin Skunk Works® Lab at the SMU Lyle School of Engineering when the building opens in December 2009.

Through this partnership with Lockheed Martin, SMU will be the first university in the nation to create and host a Skunk Works® Lab. The lab will be modeled closely on the iconic and top-secret California research and development facility created by Lockheed Martin.

The lab and will draw heavily from the management style forged by the defense contractor at Skunk Works®, which is known for a flat management style, with virtually nonexistent middle management.

The Lockheed Martin Skunk Works® Lab at the SMU Lyle School of Engineering will involve small, focused groups of students and faculty who work together under intense schedules to solve real and challenging problems.

The Lab will occupy about a sixth of the $22 million, 65,000-square-foot Caruth Hall, now under construction.