In a couple of years, students at Augustana College will enjoy more space in the science building. This morning, college officials broke ground on an expansion of the Hanson Hall of Science. It will include classrooms, study areas, and offices.
Head of the science department, Michael Wolf, says the cylindrical four-story addition will be located the north end of Hanson.
"Spaces will allow what we call studio style teaching. So they are essentially combined lecture and lab experiences. So the lecture part is not separated from the actual doing part of the labs and that is an important step towards better learning."
Wolf says the expansion will accommodate an increase in the number of science students at Augustana.
"I think when they see it, they'll be really excited. Right now it is a poster board. 16 months for college students is a long time off. As a senior, your leaving and you're not going to see this, juniors won't see it, it's really the younger students that'll just see it as, 'this is why I came to Augustana.'"
The cost of the new wing is just under $9 million, donated by alumni and others. The Roy Carver Charitable Trust is contributing $2.5 million to the project. And construction is expected to wrap-up in about a year and a half.
The contractor is Russell Construction and work will begin after graduation on May 20th.