A New Start for STEM After months of construction, the Center for Science and Innovation held a grand opening with a ribbon cutting ceremony. WORDS by HANNA MASRI and MADELEINE NICKS PHOTOS by BRAD ELLIOTT
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tem is here to stay on campus. This September, Laguna finally unveiled its brand new Center for Science and Innovation, a collection of spaces dedicated to STEM fields, including biology, chemistry, and physics. The core principles of the new center are to revitalize classrooms, transform facilities to be centered around project-based learning, and ensure that curiosity and innovation remain at the heart of the science program. The Nakamura STEM Research and Innovation Lab is among the buildings, and a hub for all things robotics, 3-D printing, VR, and coding. Through thoroughly crafted, detailed interiors, the classrooms use space more efficiently and stylistically than ever before. The Jackson Lab, housing physics, math, and environmental science classes, underwent a similar refurbishment.
Sophomore Andreas McClintock demonstrates a recent robotics project for former Laguna parent Ron Ungerer.
The recently installed landscape of the Center for Science and Innovation
The newly-constructed Gainey Biology and Chemistry Labs, feature interactive spaces where students can immerse themselves in the material. Behind the new biology classroom, an outdoor space was developed to give students a designated area to conduct open-air experiments. “I really love the new science center buildings because they are the perfect modern, clean space to work whether that be on a lab project or just simply writing notes,” senior Catie Fristoe said. “The new spaces make me really excited to come to class and explore.” The ceremony, held on September 27, gathered together members of the Laguna community including alums and parents of alums. Student volunteers led tours around the spaces for visitors, giving a personal perspective on what it’s like to learn in the new parts of campus. “I have three classes [in the labs] and it’s incredible the resources we get… we have all the state-of-the-art machines… it’s incredible the experiments we can do,” senior Ben Rodgers said. During the opening, science instructors Zach Moore, Katie Pointer, Penny Pagles, Clara Svedlund, and John Pagano were stationed in their respective classrooms, giving guests an insight into how teaching has changed in the new rooms and setting up demonstrations.
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