Meredith College Holds Grand Opening Celebration for $20 Million Science and Mathematics Building

Meredith College officially celebrated the opening of its 80,000-square-foot Science and Mathematics Building March 28 with a presentation by marine biologist Sylvia Earle, who encouraged students to consider careers in science and exploration.

“The greatest era of exploration is just beginning to dawn,” she said, noting that 97 percent of the Earth’s water is ocean. Humans have explored less than 1 percent of the ocean, she said.

“The magnitude of our ignorance is finally coming into focus, whether we are looking at the skies above… or the depths below.”

Known as “Her Deepness,” Earle holds the depth record for solo diving (1000 meters), and has led more than 50 expeditions worldwide – spending in excess of 6,000 hours underwater – in connection with her research. She has extensively researched marine ecosystems and, in 1998, was named an explorer-in-residence at the National Geographic Society. She has written numerous scientific and popular publications related to her research, including the 1995 book “Sea Change.”

“Science is fundamental for everybody,” Earle said. “It’s as fundamental as the ABCs in times past…. We need to be literate with respect to science… we need to be literate with respect to math,” she said.

Her presentation is part of Meredith’s “The Human Face of the Sciences” convocation series. The convocation theme supports Meredith’s emphasis on the sciences, mathematics and technology as symbolized by the new building.

Construction on the building began in April 2001. It opened for classes in January 2003 and houses the departments of biology and health sciences, chemistry, physics and geoscience, and mathematics and computer science. The building triples Meredith’s specialized lab space and includes numerous high-tech instruments such as: an electron microscope, a computerized telescope, and a bit lab where students may construct computers and their own network.

BJLAS Architecture, LLC, of Raleigh, N.C. and Atlanta, Ga., were the project architects for the Science and Mathematics Building. Rodgers Builders, of Charlotte, N.C., was the building contractor. Both BJLAS Architecture, LLC, and Rodgers Builders are women-owned firms.

“This exceptional facility will put Meredith students and faculty at the forefront of undergraduate education,” said Yvette Brown, Class of 1990, a physician and member of the Board of Trustees.