State leaders and industry partners joined the UConn community to formally celebrate the opening of the state-of-the-art Science 1 facility in Storrs on Thursday, June 15.
“Science 1 is transforming the way we educate,” UConn President Radenka Maric said at a ribbon-cutting ceremony held at the brand-new facility on King Hill Road. “This new building will support our efforts for federal funding and support our industry in the state. We want to be at the top of innovation in Connecticut. I always tell people Connecticut is a state of innovation, we are just too humble to tell people how innovative we are.”
Science 1 , the new home of the Institute of Materials Science, is one of the largest projects in the Next Generation Connecticut initiative, which was announced in 2013 to significantly expand UConn’s educational and research work in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields.
The building is one of UConn’s largest and most technologically advanced facilities, with some 198,000 square feet dedicated to research, teaching, and core laboratories; a new 240-seat active-learning room designed to engage students more dynamically than traditional lecture halls; and faculty offices, public spaces, administrative support offices, and informal gathering places.
It also includes a “clean room,” which is a space designed to support specialized scientific research in a tightly controlled environment where contamination is minimized to protect the work by filtering airborne particles from within the room.
“We know that if children have the opportunity to become familiar with STEM fields that are growing, expanding, and evolving, it is great for Connecticut,” Lieutenant Gov. Susan Bysiecwiz said at the ceremony. “It’s equally important that we have state-of-the-art facilities to get our higher education students excited about studying STEM, and I know they are going to have the opportunity to do that in this beautiful building. The governor and I are very passionate about STEM education and STEM careers, because many of the thousands of jobs that are open right now in the state are in STEM fields, and are among the highest paying jobs.”
In addition to its cutting-edge research and teaching applications, Science 1 was also designed to incorporate best practices in sustainability and energy efficiency, as part of UConn’s effort to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030.
The sustainability features of the facility will reduce energy usage, improve thermal comfort, optimize energy performance, and incorporate on-site renewable energy systems.
“Science 1 is designed for best practices in sustainability, and I am very passionate about incorporating climate change into how we act and think,” Maric said.
The facility is also intended as a crucial step forward in Connecticut’s investment in UConn as an engine for innovation and economic development. It further enhances a key priority of the University’s, which is to boost entrepreneurship and research funding.
“This building expresses our mission in every dimension as a public, flagship, land grant institution,” UConn Provost Anne D’Alleva said. “This building is for everyone in the state, and we couldn’t be prouder to create it and share it with everyone in our state. It truly represents the dedication of our state leaders, our industry partners, and our entire Connecticut community in advancing learning, research, and economic development.”
