Equipment and Furnishings

Physics & Engineering

The Euler Science Complex has many exciting ramifications for the Physics & Engineering department.  Here are a few:

1. Our students were involved in much of the initial design of some of the features of the building. For example, our students did a lot of initial design work on the heliostat. It’s great to point to a feature of the building and say “we helped design that in some of our classes."
2. We gain a lot of room for engineering projects. In particular, students are able to have a dedicated space for some of their project work that may be “theirs” for the duration of the project. Not having to constantly move things around to “share” lab tables and project space may result in more actual work being done on engineering projects, which means more education for the students.
3. We are able to equip our teaching labs with some state of the art equipment for engineering education and project design – for example, a 3-D printer used for rapid prototyping, a PCB mill used to make printed circuit boards, and a carbon dioxide cutting laser used for precision cutting of plastic, wood, and metal. Our students will be better prepared for the engineering work force when they graduate by virtue of using these tools.

Mathematics

The Mathematics Department is excited about the new opportunities the Euler Science Center offers for our faculty and students.

1. The spacious math lab and adjoining math resource room allow math education students to explore latest innovations in mathematics teaching, including Smart Board use and an assortment of math manipulatives. These spaces also provide an effective location for the evening Math Study Table sessions. Other student interaction spaces include the math student interaction area, seminar room, and faculty office area. 
2. The math computer lab allows individual students, groups of students, and classes of students to explore mathematical problems with the latest computer software. 
3. The math classrooms feature state-of-the-art projection systems and seating designed to stimulate group interaction and faculty-student contact, along with plenty of white board space for posting math problems and solutions. 
4. The faculty office area and math student interaction area are inviting spaces designed for student and faculty collaboration, and they also provide places for fun and fellowship. 

After all of the years of planning, the students and faculty of the math department feel very blessed to have such a wonderful facility.

Biology

For many decades, the Department of Biology has provided quality programming for its students, leading them to careers in medicine, medical research, education, and public service through fields like public health. The Euler Science Complex means that not only can we continue to offer students a quality education, we offer our students opportunities to participate in research projects during the school year and over the summer, include new cutting edge courses in our curriculum and teach them laboratory procedures the old facilities did not permit. For instance, we now have a fully-equipped Tissue Culture Laboratory, which will allow faculty to continue ongoing projects (such as Dr. Andrew Whipple’s azalea work), and also teach our students sterile techniques for the culture of living animal cells, allowing them to then use those cells in histological, toxicological, and molecular experiments and laboratory exercises. In short, we can now do even more: offer more advanced courses, provide more learning and research opportunities, and give our students more real-world experiences to make them well-equipped to take the next steps into medical and graduate studies.

Earth & Environmental Science

Since its initiation as a program in the early 1980’s, the Department of Earth and Environmental Science has focused student training on practical applications of environmental science in service to society. The completion of the Euler Science Center, especially the design features highlighted in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), offers great new opportunities and settings to continue our teaching, research and service in environmental science.  During construction, the building's geothermal heating and cooling system became a valuable teaching and research tool for our students in understanding the sustainable use of groundwater resources and the impacts of geothermal discharge on Taylor Lake.  This department, based in the Randall Environmental Center, has taken advantage of every opportunity to learn from the Euler Science Complex. 

The Euler Science Complex continues providing real-world experience in important new curricular opportunities in sustainability for majors and non-majors.  The complex also offers a myriad of research opportunities for both undergraduate and graduate students. The ability to compare the performance of green building technology with that of traditional building design on campus will be a tremendous asset. Real life studies can range from campus water budgets to effectiveness of green roof design and rain gardens to the psycho-social benefits of a LEED-certified building.