Construction on Georgetown’s new science center, Regents Hall, is nearly complete (cheesy wall decorations in tow). The building opens to the general public on Monday, as scheduled. The opening of the center is a key part in the University’s long-term plan to improve science teaching and research.

The facility is about evenly split between research laboratories and teaching laboratories, with about a third of each floor housing professor office space. On the upper, research floors, the building is divided into thirds: the western third is professor office space, the middle third contains compartmentalized labs, lab infrastructure, and lab storage, and the eastern third houses open, interdisciplinary labs.

“You’ll see that there might be a physics research lab is next to a chemistry research lab next to a biology research lab so that interdisciplinary research can really be facilitated,” said Ali Whitmer, the College’s Senior Associate Dean for Faculty and Strategic Planning. “It was a big goal of the building, to improve all of our facilities.”

Although Regents, as it stands now, holds few research capacities over Reiss, the structure of the building allows for installation of more advanced research space that Reiss could not have accommodated.

“We have added a couple of facilities that we didn’t have before,” Whitmer explained. “For example, on the first floor … Professor Barbara, who’s also in the physics department, has an interest in getting a piece of equipment that she could never have accommodated in Reiss, but we were able to construct a lab here specifically for her to get that piece of equipment in the future, so it provides a whole new capability for her lab that was not ever going to be possible there.”

Assistant Professor of Physics Daniel Blair opened up his lab during the tour, where a researcher was taking measurements using a confocal microscope (pictured below). Blair explained that, while he was able to perform the same research in Reiss, his lab in Regents gives him an ability to perform his research to its full potential.

“We weren’t necessarily waiting for the building to do new things. We were waiting on the building to do things better. As surprising as it may seem, being able to change the temperature and keep the temperature consistent in that room is a tremendous, tremendous—”  “Leap forward!” Whitmer interjected. “Cause if you want to do a precision measurement and temperature goes [up and down] and the humidity goes [up and down] with the seasons, you just can’t repeat your measurements,” Blair continued.

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Last Friday, the D.C. Council voted to approve the University’s request for $90 million dollars in tax-exempt bonds. The money, when coupled with funds gained through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, will cover the cost of completing the new Science Center.

The Council’s approval brings the bonds’ less-than-epic saga to a close. Before the November 19 vote, the bond request faced concern from the Advisory Neighborhood Commission, passage through the D.C. Council’s Committee on Finance and Revenue, and defense from D.C. Councilmember Jack Evans.

Only $74 million will go towards the $98 million Science Center, according to University spokesperson Julie Green Bataille. The rest will fund renovations of existing facilities, including the roads around the building-to-be, as well as technology and infrastructure upgrades on the main campus, Law School, and University-owned townhouses.

Although specific projects have not been identified, Bataille added, the money will not be used for 2010 Campus Plan projects or to upgrade on-campus wireless capabilities.

Photo: Georgetown College

The University is one step closer to securing $90 million in tax-exempt bonds from the D.C. government.

The request was introduced to the Committee on Finance and Revenue on October 1, and despite the ANC’s opposition the committee voted it out last Friday. (What’s a Bond film without a hackneyed villain?) However, not all $90 million will go toward the Science Center, which is estimated to cost $98.5 million.

“Approximately $74 of the $90 million is targeted for the science center,” Julie Green Bataille, University spokesperson, wrote in an email. “The rest will be prioritized for use for other capital improvements and maintenance of existing facilities.”

None of the bond money will go toward improving the University’s wireless capabilities, according to Bataille. Georgetown plans to fund that project through annual operating expenses.

Although Bataille added that specific projects have not yet been identified, committee legislation [PDF] alludes to potential tasks, including the relocation of roads that surround the Science Center, the renovation and modernization the main campus, the law campus, and University-owned town houses, as well as technology infrastructure upgrades.

To secure funding for the Science Center, the D.C. Council must approve the University’s bond application. The Council will vote on the request on November 9, according to Ruth Werner, acting committee clerk for Ward 2.

Photo: Georgetown College

Last night’s marathon Advisory Neighborhood Commission meeting covered everything from crime to tree boxes. As always, we’ve picked out the meeting’s highlights just for you. Let’s get to the recap.

The name is Bond. Revenue Bond.

Linda Greenan, associate vice president for external relations, presented the University’s application for tax-exempt revenue bonds incited an onslaught of heated reactions from audience members. A proposed $60 million of the bonds, a majority, will go toward funding the new science center. The rest will cover the cost of maintaining on-campus residences, including $12 million to outfit all residential halls with wireless Internet access.

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Last week, Preisdent John DeGioia was joined by Dean Chester Gillis, National Institute of Standard and Technology (NIST) Director Patrick Gallagher, and Board of Advisors Chair Alice O’Connor Funk to officially break ground on Georgetown’s new Science Center.

Construction of the Science Center, which is expected to be finished in 2012, was supported by a $6.9 million award granted by the NIST and funded by a federal stimulus program under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

In return for accepting the NIST award, the Science Center will become the headquarters of the Institute for Soft Matter and Synthesis.

“As we take Georgetown into its third century, we are laying the foundation for the future with this new building,” DeGioia said during Tuesday’s ceremony. “It will be a place where faculty and students will make new scientific discoveries, engage in world-class research and learn.”

The ground breaking ceremony has been a long time coming—the Office of Zoning approved Georgetown’s construction plans way back in 2007 before the recession hit. But now the money is flowing, the ground is broken, and all will soon be right in the worlds of Georgetown’s science majors.

What a wild night at the Advisory Neighborhood Commission, with neighbors turning out for proposals about developing Georgetown’s post office (above) into apartments and shoring up the foundations on O and P Streets. First, though, University business.

Science Building Construction: About two years ago, the Office of Zoning granted Georgetown the right to build the new science building and an athletic training facility, as well as make alterations to the multi-sports facility. Then the recession happened.

With Georgetown’s construction on all projects stalled for lack of money, Assistant Vice President for External Relations Linda Greenan asked the ANC to approve the University’s application to the Office of Zoning to extend the amount of time it has to do the constructions by two years, until November 23rd, 2011.

The ANC unanimously approved a resolution drafted by Chairman Ron Lewis and student representative Aaron Golds (COL ’11) to support Georgetown’s plan. Still, Greenan said, there are no plans on when to start construction on any of the buildings.

“It awaits money,” she said. She added that Georgetown has applied for federal stimulus money to construct the new science building.

This issue also gave Golds a chance to shine as student commissioner, and he took it. You might think plans put on hold by the economic crisis that had not been changed at all wouldn’t receive much opposition, but you have not met the neighbors. Golds pre-empted public complaints by explaining how terrible Georgetown’s facilities can be, and how desperately they need to be updated.

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