The largest construction project in Eastern Michigan University history has cleared its largest hurdle. In doing so, the Mark Jefferson Science Building project is redefining the University’s leadership role in science education for at least a generation.

The expansion and renovation of Mark Jefferson – home to most of the “sciences” in the College of Arts and Sciences – still must pass through several logistical checkpoints. Among these are the sale of construction bonds, selection of architects and engineers, and achieving consensus on everything from light fixtures to color schemes.

After first being discussed in 1982 and sketched in some initial detail in 1998, the $100 million project now has an air of inevitability. When completed, the addition will be larger than the recently opened EMU Student Center. In March, the EMU Board of Regents approved the proposal. In doing so, they cleared the final largest hurdle – official University financial commitment. The regents forwarded the proposal to the state legislature’s Joint Capital Outlay Subcommittee, which approved the project April 19.

The scheduled 2010 opening will change not only the physical landscape of the southwest corner of campus but the educational landscape as well.
“The project highlights the important role of science within the college, the University and the community at large,” said Dr. Harmut Höft, interim­ dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. The project immediately affects five of the college’s 18 departments (biology, chemistry, geography and geology, physics and astronomy, and psychology) and those departments’ 90-plus faculty and thousands of students.

The reasons for the project are many, but center on addressing current limits in space, technology and infrastructure. For example, many pieces of new science equipment require dedicated space and electrical, heating and cooling requirements that can’t be accommodated efficiently within the current building, which opened in 1969. In addition to equipment, faculty and students want more research laboratory space that can enhance learning and usher in a new era of interdisciplinary research.

Students enthusiastically welcome the project, although many will be alumni by the time the building opens. One such student is Mary McPhail, who graduated in April with a double major in chemistry and biology. The Ypsilanti resident was president of the EMU Chemistry Club her senior year.

“Mark Jefferson has some physical limitations, including lack of a large computer lab and few places for students to sit, eat and study between classes. And it’s well known for problems with heating and cooling,” said McPhail. Those temperature swings often affected experiments.

“This building will attract new students. We have awesome students now and this will help keep them here,” said Dr. Tamara Greco, head of the biology department. “It’s good for faculty, too. The new building will help us compete and get the best and brightest to serve our students.”

Not just College of Arts and Sciences’ students will benefit. Courses offered through the biology department, for example, are taken yearly by about 500 future elementary educators (College of Education) and about 300 students in health-care fields, including nursing and occupational therapy (School of Nursing). And nearly every undergraduate takes a general biology class.

Perhaps no one on campus appreciates the project as much as biology Professor William Booth, who served on the planning committee for Mark Jefferson’s construction in the late 1960s. Booth earned his bachelor’s degree from EMU in 1966, and took his science classes in Strong Hall, Sherzer Hall and the Hover Building. While working on his EMU master’s in biology, which he earned in 1968, attended planning meetings of what would become the Mark Jefferson Science Building, named after the head of EMU’s geography department from 1901-39.

When opened, the building showcased many innovative concepts, such as placing teaching labs, research space and faculty offices in close proximity to each other, Professor Booth said. Even dedicating space for faculty research was ahead of the curve. “This new building turned the corner as far as the attitude toward research,” he said. The current addition represents a new generation of innovation, such as the promotion of interdisciplinary research between chemistry, geology, biology and other sciences, and the development of larger lab spaces for flexible approaches in learning and research.

Chemistry Professor Steve Pernecky, who joined EMU in 1995, also welcomes the project.

“This building represents an opportunity for growth and for a new level of interdisciplinary cooperation,” Professor Pernecky said. The approach to space design will promote cooperation between and among students and faculty. “We’re no longer going to be working in isolation in labs. This sharing of ideas across space is another selling point of the project,” he added. Along with Dr. Grego, he expects the building to enhance student and faculty recruiting and student mentoring.

The laboratories will be specifically designed for either teaching or research. These dedicated spaces will make it easier for faculty to get up and running more quickly on grant projects. That advantage is expected to increase the chances of EMU being awarded grants. “Some of the current research labs have been retrofitted from being general chemistry labs. We’re looking forward to these new spaces, and in working in labs that haven’t been retrofitted from their original purpose,” Dr. Pernecky said.

The renovation and modernization of the Mark Jefferson Science Complex has been identified in the University’s five-year capital outlay plan since 1998. A portion of the newly constructed space will remain unfinished for future growth and departmental expansions. The project’s first phase calls for a 154,000-square-feet addition. The second phase includes renovations and focuses on mechanical and electrical systems, structural improvements and a new roof. The work will increase the existing building’s life by 35 years.

Seeing the future: Ashley Bate and thousands of students like her are going to benefit from additional labs and greater access to equipment.