The groundbreaking for 5X’s new Integrated Sciences Building was held Oct. 2 from 2-5 p.m. The event was free and open to the public. Following the groundbreaking, Kent State’s College of Arts and Sciences hosted a showcase of science and technology demonstrations, along with refreshments, music and fun, on the Student Green. Kent State President Beverly Warren and James Blank, Ph.D., dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Kent State, spoke at the event.
Construction is scheduled to start this fall on the $37.5 million building, which is expected to be complete by July 2017 and open for fall 2017 classes.
The building will house classrooms, instructional labs, research lab space and faculty offices for the departments of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Biological Sciences and Physics. It will be adjacent to the Student Green and Williams Hall, and will wrap around and connect to the existing Williams Hall in the Science Mall. The building will be approximately 57,000 gross square feet with an additional 13,500 square feet in an unfinished basement.
This project, approved by the Kent State Board of Trustees in December 2014, is part of a more than $90 million upgrade to multiple existing science buildings, including Cunningham, Smith and Williams halls.
“In addition to the new building, the chemistry teaching laboratories in Williams Hall will be completely remodeled,” stated Michael Tubergen, Ph.D., chair of Kent State’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. “We are eager to provide laboratory instruction in an environment that enhances student learning. The new Integrated Sciences Building will be a spectacular place for science research and instruction. Its open design will prominently display the impressive work being done in the sciences at Kent State.
The new building is part of Kent State’s Foundations of Excellence: Building the Future initiative, which involves the construction of new buildings, facility upgrades and establishment of dynamic and new spaces. The goal of this initiative is to create the most outstanding academic experience for students, faculty, staff, alumni and the greater community enriched by the university.