President Joseph Aoun says that Northeastern designed the Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Complex to draw some of the world’s best and brightest students and faculty.

“We compete with the rest of the world,” he says at ISEC’s grand opening. “We are here today to reaffirm that this community, this city, this commonwealth, and this nation are going to offer opportunities.”

Monday’s ceremony marked the culmination of years of work from all corners of the university community, he says, from students, faculty, and staff to administrators and trustees. “It’s the vision of scores and scores of people,” he explains.

He notes that it was important for ISEC to be located in Boston’s Roxbury neighborhood. “We wanted this building to be open to the Roxbury community and to future students who are going to be in our labs,” he says, pointing out the group of students from the Edward M. Kennedy Academy for Health Careers who are in attendance. “Some of you told me you want to be here as students one day,” he tells them. “One day you’ll be here as faculty too.”