MARSHA COHEN
Staff Writer
It’s finally finished … kind of. Part one (which took three years) of the two-part Fredonia Science Center is almost complete.
The purpose of the new science center is to bring together the teaching, learning and research opportunities of the New York State Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Incentive Program (STEM) all under two buildings: the Science Center and Houghton Hall.
“The emphasis on STEM education is nationwide, and the Science Center allows Fredonia to participate in the STEM effort,” said David Tiffany, vice president of Student Advancement.
In its entirety, the new complex will be 188,000 feet throughout both Houghton Hall and the Science Center. And even though Houghton Hall has yet to receive its facelift, students and faculty are enjoying the perks of the new Science Center.
“It allows us to have a hands-on approach, more or less, that we didn’t have previously. We have brand new teaching labs that are open and you’re able to move around more often. The amount of new equipment we are acquiring is going to allow us to be state of the art in terms of teaching,” said Nicholas Quintyne, assistant professor of biology.
Before the Science Center came about, STEM students found themselves divided amongst four buildings.
“It was a little tougher running around (last year) to different buildings because your teachers are spread out everywhere, but one of the good things is that you were able to separate each building by department and really focus on the sciences,” said Andrew Gilbert, a sophomore engineering major.
Even though the ribbon-cutting ceremony is slated for Oct. 17, one can’t help realize that the science center is not fully complete. As students walk by, they can see that the bottom part is filled with construction tools and debris. Other classes have been moved to different buildings for the start of the year.
Tiffany said that’s because the contractor couldn’t finish the project in a timely manner. This begs the question, does this impact the growth of the learning purpose of the Science Center?
“It will be finished … fairly soon, hopefully. These processes take time. I’ve been involved in science moves previously. I know other people who have been involved and it takes a while for things to get beautiful and shiny,” said Quintyne.
“My feeling on the whole thing is that this building is so much more than what we had last year. Jewett served the bio department so well for many, many years, but it is a building that does not compare to this one. Even if it’s not polished yet,” continued Quintyne.
Students are also looking forward to the new space and new equipment that the Science Center provides.
“Working in Houghton, I worked with a lot of outdated equipment — we had to work around that. Now that we have new equipment and more space, things will be a lot better,” said Gilbert.
Even though STEM students will be the ones making the most of the Science Center, the faculty is hoping that others find it interesting as well.
“My hope is that non-science majors see the Science Center as an indication that they should know about science and that it inspires them to learn something about science,” said Tiffany.
“It’s kind of great the way the building is set up because you have all these windows, and you can see the research labs and realize that science is fun,” said Quintyne. “It’s not the stereotypical lab guy in a coat with a clipboard making checks. It’s fun, exciting, and engaging. If a student stops by and sees someone cloning a gene, that will give them a chance to see the collaborative process of what science is.”