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A rooftop terrace offers sweeping views of campus, native plant gardens and a convenient spot for astronomy observations. Holly Kays photos
Training tomorrow’s scientists WCU opens $110.5 million science building BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER ntil 2016, then-Chancellor David O. Belcher spent much of his time and energy as leader of Western Carolina University in Cullowhee telling anyone who would listen that WCU’s future was in danger. Specifically, the future of its engineering, science and nursing programs. The reason for that danger was an aging natural sciences building that was too small to accommodate the growing number of students pursuing science careers, vibrated so significantly when the air conditioning units kicked on that using sensitive scientific equipment was impossible, and dealt constantly with mold, plumbing and storage issues. Last week, the university community celebrated the grand opening of a $110.5 million, 189,000-square-foot building that serves as the ultimate answer to the questions Belcher began asking years ago. “It truly takes a village for a project such as this,” current Chancellor Kelli R. Brown told a crowd of more than 250 people gathered under sunny skies Friday, Sept. 3, to dedicate the brand new Tom Apodaca Science Building, now home to the university’s biology, chemistry, physics and forensic science programs.
how we do science,” said College of Arts and Sciences Dean David Kinner. Science is an active, collaborative and inclusive process, he said, so it was important for the building to offer students the chance to learn, study and research along-
Smoky Mountain News
September 8-14, 2021
U
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INSIDE THE BUILDING Sunshine — both physical and metaphorical — is a key component of the new building’s design. “Our goal in building the Apodaca Science Building was not only to replace the old natural sciences building with a safer building with updated systems and amenities, although we really needed that, but to create a building that better represented
Former Sen. Tom Apodaca stands with his grandson Rio in front of the new science building bearing his name. side professors, graduates and undergraduate students. “Many of our WCU students will come here to study diverse topics from the magnificence of the universe to the complexity of the human body,” Kinner said. “Hopefully students will also be able to understand the scientific process, the continued work of asking and answering ques-
tions, always moving steadily closer to truth. Students will also hopefully know the ability of science, and even our student scientists, to provide important information and breakthroughs for society which when leveraged effectively, conserve us all.” As the dedication ceremony unfolded, clouds swirled above reflected mountain curves on the building’s many glass panels. Indoors, that natural light illuminated study nooks, classrooms, labs and even hallways — many labs and classrooms have glass on both sides, allowing the sun to reach interior spaces. The coming years will be even brighter, as the old science building still stands next to the new one, in places just a handful of feet away from the windows. Demolition is scheduled for October. “I come here before class every morning to do homework,” said senior English and biology student Melissa Rogers, gesturing toward one of the couches lining the inside walls of the bright, curved lobby area, as she led a tour of the new building. The building’s largest room is a 150-person auditorium on the ground floor. The chairs are removable, so the space can also be used for receptions and other gatherings when class isn’t in session. A large piece of artwork outside the auditorium honors the Cherokee legacy of the site, while historical photos of WCU and the Cullowhee area line the hall. A set of stadium-style concrete steps pay homage to another one
