Earlier this fall, Amherst College’s new Science Center opened its doors to students and faculty. Designed to promote interaction among students in the sciences, across departments and with the campus, the new Science Center fosters an open and accessible learning environment for the entire campus community.
The university hosted a ceremony to celebrate the grand opening of the building. It was widely attended by students, faculty, and administration from across the campus, both in person and over a live video stream. The event included remarks from Amherst College President Biddy Martin and PAYETTE’s very-own Principal-in-Charge Bob Schaeffner who delivered a heartfelt thanks for the opportunity to design seminal building for the College. Following their remarks, the crowd heard from a panel of distinguished alumni discussed the future of science in the context of the liberal arts undergraduate experience.
The celebrations continued throughout the day with student-led tours of the new facility and demonstrations in labs, classrooms and other stations. You can listen to the remarks here.
The set of projects we've completed say something about our commitment to beauty…of a built environment that is compatible with the natural beauty of this campus. It says that we care deeply about science...about our commitment to sustainability. It says something about the importance of the liberal arts emphasis on integration.
We have faculty and students who warrant a facility of this sort, whose research and teaching deserve to occur in a place that allows them to do their best work.
Biddy Martin, Amherst College President
Related Links:
Amherst College Science Center Making News
Amherst is Open for Science
New Year, New Building at Amherst College
The 2025 OpenLAB Boston studio work will be exhibited at Virginia Tech Monday, March 2nd through Wednesday, March 4th.
Please join us for the following events on Monday, March 2nd:
11:00am - Lecture with Parke MacDowell
1:00pm Lobby talk with Kevin Sullivan
This year’s studio identifies seven sites along the frayed edges of Boston’s Greenway. The Greenway is a one-mile-long linear park running through the heart of the city, reconnecting downtown Boston with its waterfront. Many of the parcels along its edges remain undeveloped and present mute, blank facades to the public realm. Addressing and repairing these edges through acts of infilling, layering, grafting, framing, and placemaking is the core focus of the studio—SUTURE.