UWM Chancellor Mark Mone led an enthusiastic grand opening ceremony for UWM’s brand-new Chemistry Building Friday afternoon.
More than 200 students, faculty, staff, government representatives and friends of UWM packed into one of the building’s many sleek, modern lecture halls for the celebration. It was all punctuated by a flash-bang, fireball-producing chemical reaction – ignited by Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley and Wisconsin State Sen. Duey Stroebel – that drew a final round of cheers from the crowd.
The event marked the completion of six years of design and construction, capping a significant milestone in UWM’s commitment to advancing scientific education and research. Mone shared how the facility is a destination for science students and will play a crucial role in educating the next generation of STEM professionals.
“That’s what it’s all about, preparing students for their future,” Mone said.
More than 3,500 UWM students take chemistry or biochemistry classes each year. They can now do so in a four-story, 163,400-square-foot building that represents a significant leap forward from the previous chemistry facility, which was built in 1972.
“It is really, truly breathtaking,” Universities of Wisconsin Board of Regents President Amy Bogost said of the facility. “This moment is amazing. The amount of people to make this dream come to fruition is really amazing.”
Bogost was part of a slate of speakers that included Wisconsin Department of Administration Secretary Kathy Blumenfeld, UWM Provost Andrew Daire and College of Letters & Science Dean Scott Gronert. They all celebrated what the new Chemistry Building meant not only for UWM, but also for the broader community and workforce.
“This innovative, state of the art building we’re in will physically represent a gateway for STEM on campus,” Blumenfeld said. And Gronert’s remarks included an announcement that Sterling Pharma Solutions has donated $25,000 to the Chemistry Department to support students and faculty.
After the ceremony, guests toured the facility, walking past its high-tech labs while drinking color-changing tea and eating ice cream prepared using liquid nitrogen. Many students who take classes or perform research in the building will move on to careers in fast-growing fields like medicine, genetic engineering, toxicology, pharmaceutics, chemical education, nanoscience and more.
“Buildings are great. Buildings are important,” Mone said. “But it’s what happens in the building. In particular, the faculty and staff with the students. We couldn’t do it without them.”
The new building is designed to foster collaboration and innovation. It features modern laboratories, advanced research equipment and flexible learning spaces that reflect the latest trends in chemistry education and research. It will support cutting-edge research in areas such as materials science, medicinal chemistry and environmental chemistry.
Some features of the new Chemistry Building include:
- State-of-the-art laboratories: Designed for undergraduate students, graduate students and researchers, these labs are equipped with the latest technology to facilitate hands-on learning and innovative research. Instruction and research labs are side-by-side to connect students and researchers.
- Interactive lecture halls: The lecture halls are intentionally designed as student-centered active learning spaces. One features a wall that slides open to the lobby for symposiums and conferences.
- Informal learning spaces: The floor plan expands the corridors to provide comfortable open areas for students to continue learning outside the classrooms and labs.
- Teaching and research facilities: Large glass walls and natural lighting form a “science on display” environment and welcome others to see and seek information on the scientific process.
- Outreach laboratory: The integrated space can be used for multiple purposes to support learning for K-12 teachers and students studying to be teachers.
- Kilo laboratory: The new lab has emulation space and new reactors for large scale chemistry, which will help students learn about industrial applications of organic chemistry.
The development of the $118 million Chemistry Building was made possible through state-supported borrowing as part of the Universities of Wisconsin’s 2019-2021 capital budget plan. The architecture/engineering team for the project was led by a partnership of CannonDesign and Kahler Slater. The general contractor was VJS Construction Services Inc.
