The University of St. Thomas unveiled on Thursday the Center for Science and Health Professions\u2014a 103,000-square-foot building located on the south edge of the university’s campus.<\/p>\n
The four-story building will house nursing, biology and chemistry. By housing these disciplines together, the university hopes to encourage prospective students to pursue careers in the\u00a0STEM\u00a0and health care fields. The state-of-the-art building will revolutionize the way professors and students\u00a0conduct research and learn.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I came here 13 years ago, I was amazed at the accomplishments of our students\u2014their acceptance rates into medical schools and research organizations and I said, \u2018How can we do this when we didn\u2019t have the best facilities?\u2019 and the answer was dedicated faculty,\u201dsaid Robert Ivany, Ph.D., president of the University of St. Thomas.<\/p>\n
Since his arrival at the school, Ivany has made it\u00a0his mission to give the students and faculty first-class facilities to continue their work.<\/p>\n
Anna Hernandez, a junior biochemistry major at UST, describes what a difference the new building will make\u00a0for her.<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore, I had to go up and down stairs all day to make a sample. I definitely got my exercise,\u201d she said. \u201cThe new space will allow us to be a lot more efficient and get quicker results.\u201d<\/p>\n
Not only will the center benefit current faculty and students, but it will allow the university to increase enrollment and help alleviate the shortage in the Texas nursing workforce.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I started in 2009, the college of nursing had a faculty of one,\u201d said Poldi Tschirch, Ph.D., dean of the Carol and Odis Peavy School of Nursing. \u201cFrom the time I arrived, Dr. Ivany and the board had a vision for this building. It will enable us to increase our enrollment and open our graduate program.\u201d<\/p>\n
The first floor of the building will be home to the school of nursing, complete with advanced simulation labs that give students realistic\u00a0experiences that they may not even receive\u00a0during\u00a0rounds.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur advanced simulation labs create active and engaged learning for our students,\u201d Tschirch said. \u201cIt gives them a chance to participate in low-frequency events that you aren\u2019t guaranteed to experience in a clinical setting.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nursing and biology will share the second floor, the third floor will house biology and the fourth floor will host\u00a0chemistry.<\/p>\n
There is no shortage of technology for any of the departments. The building has the latest equipment for each discipline, whether it is in a lab or in the classroom. One of the most interesting tools that students will be using is the Anatomology Table. The table looks like a large iPad and allows students to explore a human cadaver digitally.<\/p>\n
The building was made possible through generous donations to\u00a0Faith in Our Future: The Campaign for the University of St. Thomas. It was designed by WHR Architects, who have designed a number\u00a0of the buildings in the Texas Medical Center, and built by Harvey Cleary builders, opening ahead of schedule and under budget.<\/p>\n
As the 55th member of the Texas Medical Center, the completion of the Center for Science and Health Professions will not only add efficiency to the programs in the building, but will also enable\u00a0further collaboration.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis will allow us to blossom,\u201d Ivany said. \u201cWe have so many internships, seminars, work-study groups that link us to the Texas Medical Center that let us know what the hospitals need. We will be able to increase our graduates and we can bring faith and science to the forefront within our students and within our community in an unparalleled way through this center.\u201d<\/p>\n
The first group of students will begin classes in the building May 30.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The University of St. Thomas unveiled on Thursday the Center for Science and Health Professions\u2014a 103,000-square-foot building located on the south edge of the university’s campus. The four-story building will house nursing, biology and chemistry. By housing these disciplines together, the university hopes to encourage prospective students to pursue careers in the\u00a0STEM\u00a0and health care fields. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":9391,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1014,1853,702,462],"yoast_head":"\n