University of Wyoming and State officials celebrated the beginning of construction on the new Science Initiative facility at a groundbreaking ceremony Friday.
Of the many attendees from high offices, Gov. Matt Mead, State Senate President Eli Bebout, former Gov. Dave Freudenthal, UW Vice President for Research and Economic Development Ed Synakowski, UW President Laurie Nichols and UW Board of Trustees President Dave True all gave speeches about the Science Initiative and its new facility.
Freudenthal spoke about the need for the facility in his speech.
“Over time the needs [of the public good] are going to be different and the expectation is that we will respond accordingly,” he said. “I think the Science Initiative along with others are one of those responses where they said, ‘Look, the world is changing, priorities are changing, and we need to adapt.’”
Following suit with that notion, the facility is designed to allow research that is worthy of the world stage and education in the core concentrations of Wyoming’s economy, present and future. This is to be accomplished through state-of-the-art research and laboratory spaces that will allow for scientific imaging, biological and greenhouse research. There will also be a 200-seat active-learning classroom within the new facility.
The initiative behind the facility also emphasizes collaboration between departments here on campus. This will be achieved through collaboration and technical support spaces that will allow for shared instruction by gathering researchers into the single facility.
Gov. Mead also showed his support for the facility in his speech.
“The teaching of science must change on campus,” Mead said. “We must find ways to engage students, inspire learning and use active learning in metric programs to create the scientists of tomorrow.”
Following speeches, those who spoke along with others who were responsible for moving forward with the new facility brandished golden UW shovels for the ceremonial dirt-throw that signaled the beginning of the physical construction.
The construction, which will cost $100 million, is slated for completion in early 2021. Once completed, the Science Initiative Facility will take UW research from our humble city to the rest of the world.
Through its cutting-edge services, the facility will hopefully draw more people, from students to researchers, to the university, as well. The future for science will have a home on the UW Campus in this new building.
