The Biology Building is part of the Science Complex, a quadrangle of buildings that house Math, Chemistry, Physics, and the office of the Dean of Science. Our research-based teaching and learning facilities rival those of much larger universities. The difference? Our modern labs and state-of-the-art instrumentation are fully accessible to undergraduates as teaching tools in research-intensive courses and as investigative tools in mentored research experiences.
Biology boasts 75,000 sq ft of space distributed over three floors and features large, state-of-the-art teaching labs. Each teaching lab serves six lab groups of four students. In the middle of the room, each lab group has a large work table, while around the perimeter of the room, each group has a “mini-lab” to conduct experiments or computer exercises. Each mini-lab includes equipment specific to supporting the goals of the course, such as computers, microscopes, molecular biology equipment, and more. Each teaching lab has a complete multimedia teaching system and its prep room.
Each faculty member has a research lab accommodating up to seven independent research students. Throughout the building, there are instrumentation labs. The molecular biology facilities include an instrumentation lab, a cold room, a wet darkroom for developing radiographs, and a dry darkroom for image analysis of gels and blots; and instruments to support molecular work, including thermocyclers, incubators, real-time PCR, NanoDrop, spectrophotometers, plate reader, and electroporator. The microscopy center includes a scanning electron microscope (SEM) with cryoarm, confocal and fluorescence research light microscopes, two photographic darkrooms, image analysis, and digital photographic production capabilities. Other instrumentation labs include centralized dishwashing and autoclaves, animal rooms, aquatic rooms, a complete greenhouse with computerized climate control, and three walk-in environmental chambers.
The entire building is served by a centralized system that delivers deionized water to taps in each lab. There are networked computers in every room, and each classroom is equipped with a multimedia teaching system. At the hub of each floor is a Student Commons to facilitate interaction among students and faculty. The first-floor Commons area includes work tables, computer interfaces, and informal lounge seating. Two first floor group study areas have floor to ceiling white boards, and one has two monitors with wireless connectivity. The second-floor group-study room has a wireless monitor. The second floor is also home to the Biology Collaboration Room with a monitor with a zoom camera, public computers, and moveable furniture that functions as group study space, lab meeting space, and more.