Christine McCauslin
The Mount’s Coad building which houses the School of Natural Science and Mathematics (SNSM) will be undergoing renovation and expansion this summer of 2023. This exciting $4.1 million and 100,000 square foot expansion and renovation will bring upgraded facilities for students and faculty in STEM at the university.
Over the last six years, the university has enjoyed tremendous growth (38%) in enrollment in programming offered by SNSM with the highest growth seen in areas such as neuroscience, computer science and cybersecurity. This pace of growth combined with the age of the current facilities means that the Coad is bursting at the seams.
The building expansion was planned to address the need for additional facilities to accommodate increased enrollment as well as ensure that the facilities match the students’ capabilities. Amazing students and faculty are conducting cutting-edge research and winning awards.
The building expansion will provide much-needed
space to expand student research opportunities, support collaborative and interdisciplinary interactions and provide technological upgrades needed to provide state-of-the-art training across STEM disciplines.
Funding for the project has come from several different sources including federal and state funds as well as support from private donors and donation campaigns such as the university’s Forward! Together as One Campaign.
Students and faculty are deeply grateful to all the people and organizations that have contributed to making this dream a reality. Currently, the university has raised funds for the first phase of this three-phase project. It will continue to raise funds to complete the rest of the project, benefiting students and faculty in the SNSM as well as the entire school community.
Groundbreaking on the expansion will take place following graduation and the Mount community is excited to embark on this journey. The first phase of the project will provide new spaces to support computational sciences and neuroscience.
Those that spend most of their career in the Coad at the university are particularly excited for a brand new, state-of-the-art computation laboratory that will support the data science, computer science and cybersecurity majors. This space will allow students to work collaboratively to tackle new and interesting problems in these disciplines and provide the most up-to-date technology.
In addition to this space, Coad will also have a dedicated teaching laboratory to support neuroscience courses as well as a dedicated neuroscience research space where students working with faculty will be able to enjoy an immersive learning experience. The Mount community is thrilled to see the wondrous expansion and reconstruction of a building as popular as the Coad.
Students will have access to advanced equipment and technology and suitable spaces to accommodate their rigorous work and research. With the renovation and expansion, great work is expected to come from departments such as data science, computer science, cybersecurity and many more. A cutting-edge transformation is sure to lead to cutting-edge experiences and discoveries at the Mount.
Out with the old, and in with the new
Photo by Eileen Rosewater