Rebuilt science building, outdoor laboratory among improvements

One in five students who attends Southwestern University pursues a bachelors degree in the natural sciences, a statistic that officials say has driven upcoming renovations to the campus.

In addition to the new outdoor Ecological Research Laboratory opening in the fall, students will have a modernized science building on campus following major renovations to the Fondren-Jones Science Hall scheduled to begin this fall.

Were really excited to see this project get underway, Southwestern biology professor Ben Pierce said. Its been a long time [in] planning, and it really is important for the university to keep cutting-edge, modern science facilities.

The renovations are part of a $24 million project that will give the original portion of the science building, which was built in 1953, a much-needed update as well as additional space, Pierce said.

Southwestern is bigger than it was in 1953, Pierce said. If we want to continue to remain competitive we need cutting-edge science facilities.

Pierce said he hopes the renovations will allow the faculty to involve more students in research as well as allow for more efficient research.

An important part of the science curriculum is providing opportunities for students to conduct science research, Pierce said. We feel its important that students not just learn about science, but that they actually get to do some science.

He said that research conducted on the campus includes, but is not limited to, understanding the molecular basis of cancer, developing new chemical compounds, understanding the chemical basis of DNA damage, providing ecological information on endangered species and understanding the effects of drug abuse on ones motivation.

The campus will complete the construction in two phases, which Pierce said allows classes in the building to continue.

Phase 1 will add 23,700 square feet to the southeast side of the 38,000-square-foot building. This new space will house biology, chemistry and physics laboratories on the first floor; a molecular biology center with labs and a cell culture lab on the second floor; and teaching and research laboratories for biochemistry and organic chemistry on the third floor.

Many of our science students do research with a faculty member, so were increasing the amount of space we have to do that research and getting it modern and up to date, he said.

The first phase is an $8 million project with funding raised as part of a $150 million campuswide campaign called Thinking Ahead. Although the campaign began in 2006, budgeting for the science building was not added until 2010 when trustees voted to include the renovations. The first major gift for the building was announced in 2011, and the campaign was able to meet its $8 million goal by 2013.

Pierce said construction on the first phase will begin this fall and is scheduled for completion by spring 2016.

Its going to take about 18 months of construction to complete Phase 1. Its not something that happens right away, but the faculty has been very involved and theyre very excited about this, he said. We see this as a real benefit for our students.

The university is still working to raise $16 million to fund the second phase, which will gut the original building and add a three-story atrium-entryway. Once both phases are complete, the building will include 103,000 square feet of space.

The building was built in a time when the nature of science was really different, Pierce said. The way we teach science [now] is different, and the way we do scientific research is different. This building is 60 years old; it really needs updating.

A completion date for the second phase will not be set until the full $16 million cost for the upgrade is raised, he said.

The Fondren-Jones Science Hall is the second-most used academic building on campus, Pierce said.

All students have to take at least one laboratory science course here, he said. They have to take a math course, toowe include math in the sciences. Over 40 percent of the students that apply to Southwestern indicate that the sciences are one of their primary areas of interest.

Although the building has had minor renovations over time, the last major infrastructure update was in 1981 when attic space was transformed into laboratories and air conditioning was added.

In 1998 the hall underwent a $4.3 million expansion when the 28,000-square-foot Gordon C. Evans Sr. wing was added to the side of the building.

As the campus is now, the science programs are located in three separate buildings, with the math and computer science programs in Mood-Bridwell Hall and the kinesiology department in Robertson Center. Pierce plans to consolidate the programs under one roof following the renovations.

Another upgrade

Another addition to the campus will allow science students to study ecology more directly than in the past.

The campus has designated 25 acres for a new Ecological Research Laboratory. University officials said the land, located near Hwy. 29 and Smith Creek Road, is ideal for ecological studies because of the variety of flora and fauna living there.

This is a place on our east campus thats undeveloped where we want to concentrate some research and give students an opportunity to do ecological research, Pierce said.

Officials said the campus master plan shows the designated land will be developed for commercial use at some point, but a separate, larger area that is farther from Hwy. 29 may eventually be set aside as a permanent natural area for research.

Until then the land will be used for studies, the first of which is already underway. Samples of water are being collected from a pond after heavy rainfall to be tested by students in chemistry classes this fall.

Willis Weigand, associate professor of chemistry and director of general chemistry labs, said in a statement that students will test the water for pH; conductivity, or the concentration of dissolved compounds in the water; turbidity, a measure of suspended solids in the water; and levels of oxygen, nitrate and phosphate content.

Weigand said these six parameters will provide a sense of the quality of the water flowing into and contained within the property, which, because the water drains from Smith Creek to the San Gabriel River, will be useful in understanding the health of the San Gabriel River system.

Water quality testing is a good skill to learn, especially for environmental studies students, Weigand said in a statement.