Science on the right side of the tracks

Kaufman Hall is the temporary home for three science departments.

August 29, 2006

The seven-month renovations to Kaufman Hall, which will house the departments of environmental studies, geology and psychology, include not only new walls, carpeting and paint but also lab spaces, offices and a student lounge.

With the completion of the renovations of Kaufman Hall at Cherry and West Louther streets, "on the other side of the tracks" will become synonymous with some of the most innovative and envied spaces on campus.

The approximately 80,000-square-foot building (not including the 3,500 square feet added for the central energy plant) received extensive renovations over the last seven months to become the temporary home for the departments of environmental studies, geology and psychology, which were displaced by the demolition of the James Center, which is now the construction site for the new science complex.

The new quarters are temporary but look and feel permanent.

Designer spaces

Faculty in all three departments housed in Kaufman had an opportunity to design their spaces, which has allowed them to create learning environments that match their scientific and teaching needs.

Teresa Barber, associate professor of psychology and department chair, says that the psychology department chose to configure its space to exactly match what is planned for the department in the new science complex.

"We'll get to try stuff to see if it works or not. We're trying some very innovative things."

The psychology labs and classrooms, like many other spaces in Kaufman, include sympodiums, which allow instructors to project an object or document on a screen and then make notations using a pen or by typing. Other spaces in the building will house similarly technologically savvy smart labs or classrooms equipped with workstations, data projectors and network connections.

New for the department is a full-scale human research suite with a waiting area similar to what is found in a doctor's office, two large interview rooms, complete with two-way mirrors, and eight rooms for conducting research.

On the level

In its new space, the geology department has become more cohesive.

In the James Center members of the department were spread out over three floors with some of them assigned to digs in the basement.

"It will be interesting [to be in one space]-there are a lot of doors in the lab area, so we can cut through each other's labs," says Marcus Key, professor of geology and department chair.

"The main improvement is the lab space. We got to configure it and were relatively unconstrained because there were no walls."

The four labs have been designed to integrate upper-level and introductory labs in the same space.

Other pluses in the new space are a communal preparation area, supply storage and space for specimens. There also are lab spaces for student research and independent study.

As for increased space, the map lab received the largest boost. The college is a federal map repository for topographic maps of the areas east of the Mississippi.

Elbow room

In Kaufman Hall, faculty members in environmental studies "can offer [classes now] much more comfortably and more effectively," says Professor Candie Wilderman, department chair.

Some changes include the addition of a lab designed specifically for introductory classes. There also is a terrestrial lab used by Associate Professor of Environmental Science Brian Pedersen and an aquatics lab for Wilderman's work and classes.

"Every lab has a storage and preparation area," explains Wilderman, which for her means that she can mix chemicals and prepare field equipment away from the general work area.

In the James Center, designated student research space had to be sacrificed to provide room for faculty and staff members. This has been rectified in Kaufman with three new student-research spaces and enough office space to comfortably accommodate the department's program coordinator, student garden director, ALLARM (Alliance for Aquatic Resource Monitoring) staff and adjunct faculty members.

Wilderman says that this change was very important, allowing seniors to be assured of space for their research and gear. Also, a number of students in the Luce semester, a field-based curriculum that explores U.S. environmental crises and their cultural contexts, require lab space for independent research.

Crossing the tracks

The main entrance to the building will be from West Louther Street with an entrance off Cherry Street that will give the community easy access to the ALLARM offices.

The Kaufman Hall lot at West Louther and Cherry streets will include faculty/staff parking and fleet vehicles on the west end, while campus parking will be designated at the east end.