Chandler Nielsen works on a synthetic banana oil lab during an organic chemistry class in the Gilbert Science Center at Augustana College. The school is $2 million short of its goal to renovate the science center. / Photos by Emily Spartz / Argus Leader
By the numbers
$2 million: Remaining amount to raise to renovate and expand the Gilbert Science Center
$20 million: Total cost of the project
50: Percentage of enrolling freshmen who plan to major in the natural sciences
100: Supporters who contributed $10,000 or more
Augustana College is $2 million away from its fundraising goal to renovate and expand the Gilbert Science Center, a move school officials said will provide more flexibility in teaching and more space for learning.
The $20 million project will give the science center, which was built in 1966, a face-lift, and add space. The focus will be less on fixed features and more multiuse space, such as “classatories,” where science classes and lab time would take place in the same room.
“It will allow us to apply better, more state-of-the-art teaching and learning strategies,” said Karen Younger, chairwoman of the Natural Sciences Division at Augustana.
Most furniture in the Gilbert Science center, from chairs to lab benches, is fixed to the floor, Younger said.
“We’re doing as much as we can in that environment to help students learn, but we’re not able to implement the full breadth of emerging instructional research and those best practices, because they’re no longer done in fixed spaces,” Younger said.
Flexible features are expected to meet the needs of science students at Augustana for years to come, she said.
The Gilbert Science Center now houses biology, chemistry, physics, math, computer science and nursing. Augustana President Rob Oliver said the college would like to expand the natural science offerings for students through the renovation and expansion project.
Computer stations probably will have a prominent place in the new, renovated space, she said, where students can project their work on screens and be able to see what other students are doing.
“Students coming from high school now have been using technology in instruction for a long time, and we don’t want them to feel like they’ve stepped back,” she said.
A new building might result in new programs being developed, too, Younger said, possibly along the lines of neuroscience or genetics.
Sciences are a popular area of study at Augustana. Of the students enrolled full time this fall, 42 percent have one of the sciences as a first or second major, said Nancy Davidson, vice president of enrollment.
About 50 percent of enrolling freshmen this fall have indicated a first or second major in the natural sciences. Last year, that number was 46 percent. In 2011, it was almost 48 percent.
“I anticipate it to continue to grow,” Davidson said. “It’s been a strength of the college for a long time.”
Oliver said the college is pleased with the support for the project.
During the recent Augustana homecoming celebration, Oliver said almost 100 supporters committed $10,000 or more to the project.
“We are grateful for their generous hearts and their willingness to support us here,” Oliver said. “In some ways, we kind of stand in awe to the response to our need. It’s really humbling when people are willing to step forward and support those things.”
Oliver said the college hopes to begin construction on the project next spring or summer.