Almost a year and a half after crews broke ground, Loyola University Maryland will celebrate the completion of the Donnelly Science Center expansion with tours, presentations, and panel discussions on Friday, Sept. 30, and Saturday, Oct. 1. All of the events will be held in the new expansion on the University’s North Charles Street campus.
The 15,000-square-foot, $12 million addition provides much-needed class laboratory spaces, research laboratories, offices, a conference room for the natural sciences, storage, a vivarium, a microscopy center, and a robotics laboratory. Spacious hallways connecting the building’s wings on all levels include spaces for science displays and gathering areas for students and faculty in biology, chemistry, physics, computer science, and engineering.
"The expansion and improvement of the Donnelly Science Center gives Loyola the vital space and resources needed to provide the most advanced learning environment possible for all of our students, particularly those who plan to pursue careers in science and technology at a time when the United States is facing a critical shortage in those fields," said University President Brian F. Linnane, S.J. “I am grateful for the efforts of everyone who played a role in this project, and I look forward the new opportunities the completed building will present for faculty and students in the years to come.”
An emphasis on the sciences is a key part of Loyola’s strategic plan, and recent support has helped bolster that sciences component of the five-year plan. In October 2010, the University received a $500,000 grant from the Henry Luce Foundation’s Clare Boothe Luce Program to support the creation of two professorships for women in the sciences – one each in the computer science and engineering departments. In January 2010, clean air ventilation units were purchased for the Donnelly Science Expansion with a $90,000 grant from the Baltimore-based Middendorf Foundation.
For a complete list of events and registration information for the Donnelly Science Center expansion celebration, visit www.loyola.edu/donnelly.
For more information or questions regarding this story, contact Media Relations Manager Nick Alexopulos at nalexopulos@loyola.edu or 410-617-5025.