After seven years in the making, Union College's new Peter Irving Wold Science and Engineering Center is nearing the end of the design development phase and will be soon entering the construction document and site preparation phase. Union College officials will present a site plan to the Schenectady Planning Commission next Wednesday, February 18th.
The $18 million, 35,000 square foot building, if approved by the Planning Commission, will be located in the area between Science and Engineering, the F.W. Olin Center, Schaffer Library, and Social Sciences.
The three-storied science and engineering building will be built using $13 million of a $20 million donation, the school's largest alumni gift in its history, given by John Wold ('38) and his wife Jane in 2002.
Wold, a former U.S. Congressman, is a geologist and president of Wold Minerals Company. The building will be named for his father, Peter Wold, who was a professor at Union in the physics department. The college plans to fund the remaining $5 million through a fundraising campaign.
In keeping with the original campus design by French architect Joseph Jacques Ramée in 1814, the facade of the new building will be similar in appearance to Schaffer Library and Social Sciences in that it will have grey stucco and white columns. Additionally, the college will honor the Ramée plan by having the front entrance to the Wold building follow the curve of the colonnade. The building will be connected on the ground level to the Olin Center and will be connected to the Science and Engineering Building on every floor.
According to Doug Klein, who is the Dean of Interdisciplinary Studies and Special Programs as well as a member of the building's steering committee, the new building will fill the void of a central destination for science and engineering in addition to meeting the college's strategic goal to better integrate the sciences and liberal arts.
When completed, the Wold Science and Engineering building will house an interdisciplinary Biochemistry suite consisting of four faculty labs and a teaching lab, environmental science and engineering labs and classrooms, and energy engineering labs. The ground floor will include the Phasor, or acoustics, lab which will be acoustically insulated and will have specialized equipment to study both music and voice acoustics.
In addition, the first floor will house the Aerogel Fabrication and Characterization lab. According to Klein, aerogels are ultra-light substances with "amazing" insulation properties.
The roof will also serve as a laboratory space for energy engineering where students and faculty will be able to study solar, geothermal, and wind energies as well as building energy systems.
"The world needs better conversation between programs and the Wold building will promote conversations across disciplines," Klein added.
Not only will the building contain high-tech laboratories, but also the steering committee intends to have the building act as a continuous laboratory experiment. Plans for the building include lots of temperature, water, and system monitors and sensors. In addition, college officials are working with a "Green Team" and their architects to obtain "LEED Gold" status from the U.S. Green Building Council. Even with financial difficulties Union faces, Klein believes that the College is "committed to achieving LEED Gold status."
Architects are currently investigating various environmentally friendly strategies including the use of geothermal energy, aerogel skylights, and lighting and air-conditioning sensors.
Klein believes that the Wold building will provide the college with much needed research space that will attract both high-quality students and faculty members to Union. The current Science and Engineering building, while effective, was built approximately 45 years ago during a time where undergraduate research was rare.
Besides additional classroom and laboratory spaces, the Wold building will also feature a three-story open-space atrium that will create an alternative space on campus for students and faculty to study, converse, and be educated. The atrium will contain numerous spaces to display student and faculty research and projects.
"The new building will be a crossroads through campus and will be an opportunity for informal learning as people walk through," Klein said.
The first signs of construction on campus, according to Klein, may take place as early as April 2009 with site preparation for the replacement of utilities, electrical services, data lines, and sewer lines. Klein warns, however, that during the 15-month construction process, students and faculty will face inconveniences. The paths leading from the Library area to Olin and Alumni Gym will be closed, as will the tennis courts behind the Schaffer Library. The College is currently developing a website to notify the campus of inconveniences.
The Wold Science and Engineering building is tentatively scheduled to open for a limited number of classes in spring of 2011 and in the summer of 2011 for student and faculty research. The college hopes to open the entire building to the campus in for the 2011 fall term.
Originally published in Union's Concordy on February 12, 2009.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Student Laptops target of recent thefts in Schaffer Library
By Benjamin Engle
Many Union students leave their laptops unattended at desks and tables while going to the stacks for books or to the bathroom believing that their computer will be waiting for them on their return. However, after a recent increase in laptop thefts at Schaffer Library, Library officials are warning students to watch their belongings more closely.
The first theft occurred in the middle of an afternoon, between three and four o’clock, on the first floor of Schaffer Library to the right of the computers when Katrina Neiley’s (’10) computer was taken.
Not wanting to leave the scene of the crime, Neiley waited for Campus Safety to arrive to report her missing computer. However, according to Neiley, Campus Safety was not optimistic that the computer would be found.
“[Campus Safety] had little hope to offer. One of the officers mentioned the possibility of looking at the videotapes while another said no cameras would be worth [looking at in the investigation],” Neiley said.
Fortunately for Neiley, her computer turned up in a Schaffer Library bathroom less than 24 hours after the theft was reported.
However, according to College Librarian Thomas McFadden, laptop thefts at Schaffer Library are nothing new.
“Every year, several laptop computers are stolen in Schaffer Library,” McFadden said.
McFadden believes that there are many reasons why laptops are stolen at the Library. “The Library is a perfect place for opportunistic, unobserved theft,” he stated. “There are many out-of-the-way tables and study carrels tat cannot easily be seen by other students or staff.”
In response to the surge in stolen laptops, McFadden sent out a campus-wide email on January 27th notifying students to be more vigilant and aware in the library. In the email, McFadden offered advice to help keep valuables safe and secure.
“There are several things students can do to prevent, or at least diminish the likelihood of theft,” added McFadden.
He believes that students should record the ID numbers located on their computers and keep that information in a safe and secure place. Having the computer’s ID number can potentially help Campus Safety identify a student’s stolen computer.
While McFadden doesn’t believe that the Library will be installing cameras within the library, Schaffer Library has increased security by purchasing ten security cables that are available for checkout from the Library’s Circulation Desk. The cables, when attached to the computer and secured to the desk or chair, will slow a potential thief down and may act as a deterrent.
“A potential thief is looking for an opportunity simply to pick up an unattended laptop,” McFadden added, “and walk away with it as quickly as possible—generally, right out the door.”
While McFadden doesn’t endorse any computer safety company, he also suggested that students investigate purchasing some type of GPS security system, such as MyLaptopGPS, that uses the Internet in order to locate a laptop once it’s gone. These GPS tracking devices cost about ten dollars a month and offer a “300% money-back lifetime guarantee.”
While a computer is replaceable, McFadden reminds students that the loss of files and work is probably worse. “Routinely back up your important files on a flash drive and keep it separate from the computer,” he advises.
As for Neiley, she is just glad to have her computer back. “It is really disturbing to have something so personal and important stolen by a fellow student, but I'm just happy it was returned.”
Originally published in Union's Concordy on February 5, 2009.
Many Union students leave their laptops unattended at desks and tables while going to the stacks for books or to the bathroom believing that their computer will be waiting for them on their return. However, after a recent increase in laptop thefts at Schaffer Library, Library officials are warning students to watch their belongings more closely.
The first theft occurred in the middle of an afternoon, between three and four o’clock, on the first floor of Schaffer Library to the right of the computers when Katrina Neiley’s (’10) computer was taken.
Not wanting to leave the scene of the crime, Neiley waited for Campus Safety to arrive to report her missing computer. However, according to Neiley, Campus Safety was not optimistic that the computer would be found.
“[Campus Safety] had little hope to offer. One of the officers mentioned the possibility of looking at the videotapes while another said no cameras would be worth [looking at in the investigation],” Neiley said.
Fortunately for Neiley, her computer turned up in a Schaffer Library bathroom less than 24 hours after the theft was reported.
However, according to College Librarian Thomas McFadden, laptop thefts at Schaffer Library are nothing new.
“Every year, several laptop computers are stolen in Schaffer Library,” McFadden said.
McFadden believes that there are many reasons why laptops are stolen at the Library. “The Library is a perfect place for opportunistic, unobserved theft,” he stated. “There are many out-of-the-way tables and study carrels tat cannot easily be seen by other students or staff.”
In response to the surge in stolen laptops, McFadden sent out a campus-wide email on January 27th notifying students to be more vigilant and aware in the library. In the email, McFadden offered advice to help keep valuables safe and secure.
“There are several things students can do to prevent, or at least diminish the likelihood of theft,” added McFadden.
He believes that students should record the ID numbers located on their computers and keep that information in a safe and secure place. Having the computer’s ID number can potentially help Campus Safety identify a student’s stolen computer.
While McFadden doesn’t believe that the Library will be installing cameras within the library, Schaffer Library has increased security by purchasing ten security cables that are available for checkout from the Library’s Circulation Desk. The cables, when attached to the computer and secured to the desk or chair, will slow a potential thief down and may act as a deterrent.
“A potential thief is looking for an opportunity simply to pick up an unattended laptop,” McFadden added, “and walk away with it as quickly as possible—generally, right out the door.”
While McFadden doesn’t endorse any computer safety company, he also suggested that students investigate purchasing some type of GPS security system, such as MyLaptopGPS, that uses the Internet in order to locate a laptop once it’s gone. These GPS tracking devices cost about ten dollars a month and offer a “300% money-back lifetime guarantee.”
While a computer is replaceable, McFadden reminds students that the loss of files and work is probably worse. “Routinely back up your important files on a flash drive and keep it separate from the computer,” he advises.
As for Neiley, she is just glad to have her computer back. “It is really disturbing to have something so personal and important stolen by a fellow student, but I'm just happy it was returned.”
Originally published in Union's Concordy on February 5, 2009.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Notice: Syndication
The article entitled "Analysis reveals effects of economic downturn at Union" has been syndicated across the "Syndicated College News Network."
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