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New Science Center Nears Completion

$56 Million Center Will be Dedicated September 30

The main stairway in the new science building.
The main stairway in the new science building.
Construction of the new Science Center, which will be dedicated on Sept. 30, is in its final days. Planning began in 1996 for the state-of-the-art,$56 million center. Close to 100 Barr and Barr construction workers are putting in overtime in order to meet the deadline for completion of Phase 2 of the new building, thus marking the completion of all Science Center construction. More ...

Countdown to Completion

$56 Million Science Center Nears Finish

Work on the new science center is due to be completed by August 31.
Work on the new science center is due to be completed by August 31.
Eleven. To many Hamilton students and faculty, this is the number of weeks remaining in a relaxing summer vacation. However, to Steve Bellona, Hamilton's Associate Vice President for Facilities and Planning, the rest of the Hamilton College buildings and grounds crew and the builders from Barr and Barr, the next 11 weeks will be less than relaxing, as it is the number of weeks they have left to finish the $56 million science building construction project. More ...

Fall Science Center Construction Update

Phase II of Project Under Way with Demolition of Dana Wing


The construction of Phase II of Hamilton College's new integrated Science Center, which includes demolition of the Dana Wing, built in 1965, and complete renovation of the original 1925 science building, proceeds on budget and within nine days of the projected schedule. Completion of the entire building project (which will include 56 faculty offices, 48 teaching laboratories, 53 research laboratories, 67 support rooms, 11 high-tech classrooms, several informal student areas, and a coffee shop) will occur in August 2005. More ...

Bringing Down the House

Workers Tear Down Parts of Old Science Building

Science Center construction (Photo courtesy Dave Tewksbury)
Science Center construction (Photo courtesy Dave Tewksbury)
In May 2004, Phase I of the Science Center construction was "97 percent finished" according to assistant director of construction Bill Huggins. Two months later, professors moved into their new offices, and summer science research students were busy at work in the new laboratories, bringing Phase I to an unofficial close. With the first half of the Science Center construction finished, what is next for the $56 million dollar project? The answer: deconstruction. More ...

Spring Science Center Construction Update

Phase I Nearing Completion

Construction workers worked diligently through central New York's harsh winter and have Phase I of the new Science Center nearly finished. "I would say the construction is 97% complete, with professors moving into their new offices within the month," said assistant director of construction Bill Huggins. More ...

Assembling the Tree of Life

New Equipment Will Enhance Biology Research

A popular mnemonic device used to help students remember biological classifications is "Kings Play Cards On Fat Green Stools," (Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species). Hamilton College Associate Professor of Biology Patrick Reynolds specializes in the "Play," or Phylum of Mollusca, which includes snails, clams and squid. Under the Mollusca phylum heading is the "Cards," or Class Scaphopoda, within which Reynolds conducts the majority of his research. Scaphopods are one of seven molluscan classes, and are characterized by a long, skinny shell, hence the less formal name "tusk shell." More ...

The Power of Green

Science Center to be Educational and Environmental

Construction workers drill a borehole for a geothermal system
Construction workers drill a borehole for a geothermal system
In addition to having state-of-the-art laboratories and equipment, Hamilton's new Science Center is being built with attention to environmental benefits. Much of the new building will be constructed with attention to "green" design, which is the use of environmentally friendly processes and materials in building construction and design. More ...

Equipping the New Science Center

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectrometer for Chemistry Department

When the chemistry department moves into the new science center summer 2004, it won't be taking its 13-year-old NMR along. A nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer (NMR) is a versatile, yet fundamental piece of equipment for chemists. Hamilton College, under the leadership of Robin Kinnel, the Silas D. Childs Professor of Chemistry, has been awarded a $238,356 grant from the National Science Foundation's Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) program to support the purchase of a new 500 Mhz NMR. More ...

Wired and Wireless

New Science Center Will be Entirely Wireless Says Roback

The news headline reads "New iPaq packs in Bluetooth and Wi-Fi capabilities." It may be Greek to some of us, but it's a taste of the future on college campuses. David Roback, network and systems administrator, says the new science building will be entirely wireless and explains what technology advances will make possible at Hamilton. More ...

Fall Science Center Construction Update

Exterior Stonework Progesses as Workers begin Interior Work

Installing sheetrock
Installing sheetrock
Construction of Hamilton's new 192,000-square-foot, $56-million science center is on budget and on schedule, said Douglas A. Weldon, Stone Professor of Psychology and science curriculum and facilities coordinator. Weldon reported that all the flights of stairs have now been installed, and that the stairwells resemble mini-Atriums. These are often referred to by the project coordinators as "Atriettes" because of their spacious, wall-less design that relies in part on the open design for lighting. Bill Huggins, assistant director of construction, added, "At this point in the construction, the building is nearly water tight – most of the roof has been completed and we've been working hard to get the windows installed. With more than 80 contractors working diligently on a daily basis things are happening fast." More ...

About the Science Center
Unique characteristics of the design of this building include:

complete faculty involvement in laboratory and classroom design

an open approach to make science activity visible

four different types of student public/study area: enclosed small rooms, common rooms, open study areas and the atrium

wireless computer capability throughout the building as well as 1,300 wired network jacks

an organization with teaching labs on one side of the hallway and research labs on the other, organized "communities" to maximize efficiency for access to lab and support areas

"atriette" stairway areas providing vertical connections between disciplines More ...