As the start of the fall semester fast approaches, students in the biology, chemistry and earth and environmental sciences departments will soon be conducting research in the nearly-complete Cohen Science Center.

In preparation for classes and research taking place in the building at the start of the fall semester, The Beacon has a first-look for what students and the campus community can expect to find in the new Cohen Science Center.

Building-wide:

Designed primarily for labs and offices, the entire Cohen Science Center will have lounges on the upper floors facing both River Street and the greenway. Offices and labs for the department of earth and environmental sciences will be located on all the floors on the greenway end of the building. For research presented on posters, special corkboards can be found on the walls of all floors for posters and other flyers to be easily be hung with thumbtacks.

1st Floor:

With a wide, open lobby with stairs seeming suspended, here students can be found the offices of the Dean of the College of Science and Engineering, three large conference rooms and labs for geology, chemical and biological waste. The hallmark of this floor is a large video screen that will display the building’s energy readout (how much energy it is consuming) and student and faculty research.

2nd Floor:

This floor will primarily be home to biology research labs.

3rd Floor:

A large stockroom for chemistry and biology can be found on this floor in addition to labs for chemistry research and faculty offices.

4th Floor:

The building’s fourth floor will feature teaching labs for both general and organic chemistry in addition to faculty offices.

Rooftop:

Boasting a wide view of campus and downtown Wilkes-Barre, the Science Center’s roof will feature a greenhouse and space for telescopes to be used for astronomy.

With faculty moving lab equipment and offices into the campus’s newest building addition this week and throughout next month, anticipation is building for the new building from those who will use it.

“It’s really exciting; everyone’s thrilled to be in the new building, the new labs are state-of-the-art and everyone’s excited to move in as quickly as possible,” Junior biology major Connor Zale said of doing research in the new building.

Associate professor of chemistry Hernando Trujilo, whose office will be located on the building’s fourth floor, thinks the labs in the science center will be more adaptable than those in Stark Learning Center.

“The physical space is smaller but on the other hand it’s a lot nicer and I think we can find ways to use the space more efficiently than we have in Stark.”

The building will be formally opened on October 4.