Almost 10 years after it was originally conceived and seven years after the
first funding proposal was submitted, the $6.4- million F.W. Olin Science
Center opened this fall to what can only be described as great reviews. By all
accounts, the building will revolutionize science teaching and research at Colby.
CENTER'S WEB SITE
It is big--38,500 square feet, including a 10,200-square-foot library. It is
bold, brimming with gee-whiz technology, including sophisticated audio-visual
equipment in several classrooms and laboratories. And it is beautiful, with
features like study lounges framed by floor-to-ceiling windows offering
panoramic views of campus and the College woods.
Students' reactions fell within the narrow range from excitement to awe. "This
building says to people, `Here's a small, liberal arts college that has made a
commitment to the sciences,'" said biology/environmental sciences major Noah
Owen-Ashley '97. "Everything about it is state-of-the-art. It's impressive."
From the "case study" room replete with high-tech gadgetry to the greenhouse
where computers monitor and adjust climate conditions minute by minute, the
Olin building is a showcase for the latest and best in educational
appointments. Science faculty, who designed the building right down to the last
electrical outlet and computer plug-in, thought of everything, including a room
designated for storing wading boots used on field trips.
"You'll find very few labs with the computer capability that ours have," Cole
said. "You can't get much faster equipment that students would use. It really
is a state-of-the-art facility that allows us to do many more things."
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