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It began as a vision. It began as a vision of this incredible science center where we
could really showcase flexible learning space, green design, environmental stewardship, high
tech in all of our classrooms and laboratories in a place where we can celebrate science
and inspire our students to pursue scientific careers.
We knew that the 3rd floor needed to be remodeled, and it didn't take us a long time to realize
that there wasn't really room up there to put what we needed to have in place. And,
we went to the administration, and they told us we should think big. We should dream.
Well, the experience was a collaborative experience. It was wonderful because we brought together
faculty, staff, administration, and the board, as well as foundation leaders. We all worked
together to develop the concept, bring in architects, which was a mix of local and
national architects, and then we worked together through a collaborative process that created
a whole [idea] that is this building.
And some of the very initial things that were mentioned were like this greenhouse that we're
standing in right now, and we've always wanted a greenhouse, and now we've actually got
it, and it's just fantastic for our botany classes, principles classes, and a great place
to bring students to even work with internships and so forth.
So we wanted things which were sustainable. So we want this to be a building which says
that, which is that, which has things in it which are good for the long haul, which are
sustainable over the long haul.
I think the most exciting thing about it is two different facets. One is that we've designed
the building with flexible learning spaces, which means that we can modify specific aspects
of each room to achieve a learning goal. And the second thing is the building has been
designed to be, to emphasize sustainability as a concept for living. We're hoping that
we're going to model both of those concepts to our students so they can bring that out
into their future careers.
For me, it was really all about building a biotechnology program, which is opening so
many opportunities for the students, and these spaces really look professional. They're representative
of what they're going to get in a real life of experience when they go on to get a job or
they go on to their 4 year school. So I think, from my point of view, this space has made
the biotechnology program really possible.
What I really find exciting about this new building is the fact that it provides prospective
students with the opportunity to just see how influential the biotech program really
is. It makes a huge difference for me as an intern, especially. We have more space, there's
a tissue culture room so I can actually perform really aseptic, sterile type of techniques
that I would be using in the future and job opportunities.
I'm most fascinated about the green roof. It's really awesome that you can put plants
and trees on top of roof and really get the benefit of having natural cooling from it,
shade, so really, you don't have to fluctuate the air temperature as much inside the building.
You can see how, really, the bond is limitless between technology and the environment, and
you can plan to building, and it really benefits the faculty, the environment, and the students.
We have more space, which means we can have more equipment. More equipment means I can
learn more, and learning how to use the equipment is really where science is going. It's not
just, I mean you have to know your stuff, but you also have to know how to interpret
what these computers and what these new pieces of equipment are saying.
My big thing is, I get excited when I look around. It is new, you know, and it helps fill the students
with a sense of pride.
It helps a student when they're launching into a science, to feel like they're working
with state-of-the-art equipment, that they really are on the edge of the technology.
And, that's great for marketing and recruiting, but that's also great for the students that
are looking to move on and know that they've had that kind of experience that they can
build on and that they're not going to be shocked, walking into a state-of-the-art laboratory
where they've had substandard equipment. So, it's really great to hear students coming
back and saying, "This is amazing! I want to come back!"
We believe that science education is part of the economic package of the United States,
so we're hoping that we're developing career pathways for our students that are based on
cutting-edge ideas and content, techniques, and equipment, and by exposing our students
to that, and letting them develop those techniques, we're hoping that they're going to develop
their careers and those careers will enhance our local economy.
This building provides more educational awareness for green. Being able to show people that
you can use gray water facilities, the rain catching for example, the toilet system, and the green
roof, which I'm so excited when we'll be able to see that. Just between those things, it's
just awesome.
I can't tell the foundations enough, how grateful we are for their very generous support of
this building, for believing in this building, for sharing our vision to make the building,
and what it represents, of course, reality. So many new opportunities here in the science
center now, and our foundations have been with us all through the whole process and
have encouraged us to think bigger and to dream bigger, and now we have this fruition
of that vision that continues to play out, will continue to play out for many, many generations
to come. So we're very grateful.
Because we built this building, because I could say that we have these facilities and pieces
of equipment, we were able to parlay that into a 3 and a half million dollar grant from
NSF to basically inculcate the biotechnology program with research and because of that,
we're actually the tip of the spear of a national movement to have undergraduate research in
community colleges.
I'm very environmentally minded. And it's often easy to talk the talk, but to be able
to walk the walk is very difficult if you don't have the proper funding, and so I really
want to thank them for allowing us to not just be cutting-edge, but to really be living
as examples in the community, how things can be done in a much more energy-efficient level,
the way things really ought to be done. And so I thank them for giving us the means to
be able to walk the walk, and be role models.
I would really like to thank them for giving us the window of opportunity and ability to
challenge ourselves with the new technology, the new equipment, and really help enrich our
studies here at JCC. It gives us the opportunity, I guess, to compete with a four year school
or research program, and we can get it done here at JCC.