The inaugural semester of the Math and Science building is underway and by the looks of things, construction still continues.
“This is the future, this is the right way to go”, said Dr. Michel Odu, dean of Math, Science and Engineering.
Odu said school leaders didn’t know if the building would be ready for classes until just weeks before the first day of school.
“We worked all through the holiday and on New Years day, building is a go or not” Odu said. “We made the final call January 1.”
Funded by Prop R which passed in 2008 and allocated $85.6 million to the construction of classrooms and facilities on campus, the building has state-of-the-art laboratory equipment for physical and life science courses. The building also boasts a new green house, collaboration centers, a rooftop telescope platform, an outdoor projection wall and sustainable technology.
The two-story building features 19 classrooms, 16 laboratories and 46 faculty offices. It replaces the multiple buildings used by Math and Science department over the past 50 years.
“We’ve got a lot more bench space,” instructional lab technician Matthew Millus said. “We’ve got a lot more space in the classroom. Not only more room, we’ve got better safety equipment in all the labs. Its better to have it and not need it than to not have it.”
Yet to be finished are details to the exterior of the building, including sidewalks, ramps, railings and landscaping work. The exterior is expected to be done in the next month or so. A ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled for April 18.
“You need to produce an environment that is conducive to teaching and learning,” Odu said. “Your workspace has to be welcoming. Every conversation I have with my staff is “how can we do more for our students?”
Almost there – Students wait for classes in Math and Science building that has been in the works for three years. Though classrooms are open, construction continues. Photo by: Marco Figueroa
Still with construction underway the building seems like a puzzle to some. Amanda Velasquez, a nursing major taking a class in the new building, said it can be difficult to navigate.
“The only thing that was confusing is trying to find your way around certain things,” Velasquez said. “It’s just like my chemistry professor mentioned, it’s kinda like a maze. So you just kinda have to find out where everything is and navigate your way around.”
Business information system major Alessandro Rivera said one factor complicating the commute is the building’s design, which is unusual for Southwestern.
Most classrooms have doors leading outside, but buildings 60’s classes are all indoors.
“It’s pretty annoying because my teacher expects you to get there on time,” Rivera said. But since you have to walk all the way through the building and there’s only a certain amount of ways to get inside to the building, it makes a lot of people late to class.”
“Some staff remember when they took classes here in the early 80s and 90s, they had the same microscopes they used then,” Odu said. “The same microscopes! Not anymore. Everything is new, new, new.”
Odu credits his staff of lab technicians for preparing the new classroom laboratories before the semester began. Staff stocked the shelves, unwrapped new desks, fitted white boards and even sorted out specimens.
With the maximum occupancy for Building 60 being approximately 1,800, Odu is looking for the opportunity to offer more classes for students on weekends. Which will benefit students who have to work during the week.
“With this building, we are gonna offer classes on Fridays and Saturdays,” Odu said. “What is the worst case? We offer, it doesn’t work, but we’re gonna try it. I truly believe if we offer it, they will come. Without a doubt.”
The Math and Science building is designed to be a working environment based on the future of teaching and research with cutting-edge technology. Typically, community colleges do not participate in their own research, but Odu wants Southwestern College to challenge four-year universities.
“Now, we take students to the finish line and compete with four-year colleges in delivering quality education,” Odu said. “We have the capabilities for research. We call it advance study lab. It’s an opportunity for faculty and students to collaborate and publish their work.”
Two science-related features not moving into the new building are the planetarium and the turtle pond. The turtle pond will be moved to the botanical garden and a new planetarium will be built in the future.
However, for stargazers feeling left out, the roof of the new building is a telescope platform.
The building also has the latest in energy-saving and water-conservation technology. All water, whether it be rain or from condensation, is collected in a large cistern in the middle of the building and then recycled.
“Rainwater and all the condensations are going to charge up the cistern.” Odu said. “Science is never off, so why should this facility be off?”
Odu sees the Math and Science building becoming a way to cater to the needs of the community.
“I want students to finish what they started,” Odu said. “We have the resources, we have the tools. We can get students to the finish line. There’s no excuses any more. We are going to meet our students where they are and we are going to take them where they need to be.”
