A new interdisciplinary lab is shaping up in Roger Bacon Hall that will provide dedicated work space for students and faculty in environmental studies and sciences.
The “wet lab” in RB246 should be up and running for the start of the fall semester, according to Katherine Meierdiercks, Ph.D., associate professor in the department.
The repurposed space will feature standard lab equipment, an incubator, and other material to study water quality, wildlife samples, wetland ecology and more.
“Environmental studies and sciences are interdisciplinary at their core,” said Meierdiercks. “This new lab space will reflect that, and will allow for greater collaboration among students and faculty in our department and others in the School of Science.”
She said the program has grown so much over the past few years – there are now 70 students majoring in ESS – that a dedicated space for lab work made sense.
Students and faculty in this department have been using RB238 as a combination classroom and lab, and there was no adequate space for sustained lab study. Plans for the new lab have been in the works since last summer.
