By MIDORI DAVIS | Editor-in-Chief.
The new Life Sciences building at WSU Vancouver opened to students in August following a decade-long project to boost the university’s enrollment and appeal to science-inclined students while establishing a hub for faculty and research at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.
As a facility for instruction and research in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields, the building houses classrooms and state-of-the-art lab space for the biology, chemistry, nursing and neuroscience programs. The building also features a 3,300-square-foot greenhouse for use in experiments and research.
“The opportunity to build a new facility is also an opportunity to look at the programs that you’re offering, to build programs, and definitely to attract new students into those spaces,” said WSU Vancouver Chancellor Mel Netzhammer. “Building new facilities gives us the opportunity to invest more in undergraduate research, and the whole second floor is building faculty research. It creates new spaces for our graduate students, which is also very important.”
The Washington State Legislature awarded $57.1 million for the building, and the remaining $6.7 million was provided by the Washington State Office of Financial Management, WSU Vancouver’s reserve funds, and donors.
Vice Chancellor of Research and Graduate Education Christine Portfors was in charge of the $63.8-million project. According to Brenda Alling, WSU Vancouver’s director of marketing and communications, Portfors spoke with students and faculty about what they needed in a life sciences building to plan the project.
“We knew we were running low on lab space, for instance,” said Alling. “We knew we wanted to add a chemistry major and we needed appropriate lab space for that. So [Portfors] was, you know, taking all of these things into consideration as she was helping to articulate the mission of the building.”
WSU Vancouver dedicated the building on June 6 in a ceremony with students, faculty, staff, donors and state legislators.