STUDENTS BEGIN RESEARCH IN NEW SCIENCE BUILDING
When looking at the design and construction of the new science building at Chico State, the newest constructed building on Chico State’s campus which was completed in the fall, Associate Vice President of Facilities and Capital Projects at Chico State Michael Guzzi said the campus was lucky in some ways.
Guzzi and his team had in the building’s original plans to implement technology in 30 classrooms enabling professors to teach students in the classroom while teaching those learning from home simultaneously, a concept now referred to as “Chico Flex.”
The concept came prior to Chico State students being forced into virtual learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Since the start of the pandemic, Chico State has applied the concept to 100 additional rooms around campus, in addition to 90 added WiFi
points on campus for students to connect to, Guzzi said. The new science building also was set up with 92 set points for students to connect to WiFi.
Chemical fumes and air is recycled through the roof and LED lights that turn on when people enter each room will help with energy-saving measures, in addition to solar panels which are scheduled to be put on the roof by summer, according to Guzzi. Building features to help with shade were also implemented, bay windows to showcase active science experiments, and a design so that it matches with surrounding buildings on the campus.
Guzzi said when designing the building, staff wanted to feature the historic brick-look located on other parts of the campus.
“On the east/west axis we nod to our historic character, but on the north/south axis we look to the future, and we look much more modern here,” Guzzi said. “People love Chico for its brick, old, East Coast Ivy League school
type feel, and so we wanted to make sure to stay true to that but also add a little bit more modern look.”
The new science building is separated into four floors, and Associate Dean of the College of Natural Sciences Randy Miller said that the floors are not separated strictly by department as faculty wanted students to be able to interact with other majors as well. On the first floor instructional spaces for physics and geoscience students can be found,
in addition to the department of science education. The second floor is primarily physics classes and research, with geoscience labs located on the floor as well. On the third floor some science education is held, however a majority of the third and fourth floor are reserved for the building’s largest department — chemistry.
Miller said something that will differ comparatively to Siskyou Hall, the building
formerly in its spot, is that science classes will be either doing research or using the space for classes from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. Monday through Friday so classes from other majors will be more often held elsewhere.
Miller said because science lectures will take place in the new building, more lecture spaces elsewhere on campus will open up.
Active research
Construction on the building was completed in fall 2020, though many students have still yet to be able to experience the new offerings of the building.
Miller said some chemistry students and staff have been allowed in the building where students are actively designing and making new molecules which in turn could potentially create new drugs.
Chico State student Kendall Block is in her fifth year studying chemistry and biochemistry and helped set up some of the laboratories in the new building. Block is currently working on a project creating molecules aimed at targeting Alzheimer’s disease.
She said the new ventilation and fume hoods throughout the building has made her feel safer; however, she said setting up the labs has been a tremendous learning experience.
“Just because when I started research I came into a lab and everything was already set up and ready for me to go,” Block said. “Whereas here I really had to figure out or have help with putting everything together in order to make it a usable and working lab.”
Students from the environmental science department are working with a professor collecting rain water from the Camp Fire burn zone and analyzing low levels of possible metal contaminants which will be available to the community and other Butte County resources.
One Chico State geology professor is a paleontologist and has brought a 7-millionyear-old mastodon tusk in for students to work with. Miller said the tusk is currently in plaster of Paris and students will be involved in releasing the tusk from the plaster, cleaning it up and curating it before it will be shown in the Gateway Science Museum.
Guzzi said despite staff looking forward to students returning to campus, a positive takeaway of students being away from campus is that both the maintenance staff as well as professors were able to iron out any issues that arose during the new building’s launch.
Block, who took her undergraduate science classes in the former physical science building, said she is excited for undergraduates to be able to further their research in a building that will work as a functioning laboratory.
Cost
The funding for the cost of the new science building came primarily through California state tax dollars, according to Guzzi. Just over $90 million came from the state, while Chico State contributed an additional $9.5 million.
Guzzi said that each year he must update the campus’ 5-year-capital-plan, prioritizing the next big project at Chico State before lobbying for state funds. Guzzi’s office was able to get the funding necessary for the new building after 10 years of planning with the former Siskiyou Hall in place.
“We went through the Camp Fire, then COVID hits, some delays because of the state fire marshal with design issues that we had to work through, and then we had a massive flood we had in April 2019,” Guzzi said. “This building has seen fire, flood, plague and now it’s ready for the big time. We’re proud of the end result.”
History
The new building, in addition to much of the Chico State campus, sits on land formerly occupied by the Mechoopda tribe. Guzzi and his team have implemented several elements honoring the local tribe.
The new breezeway located in the front of the building will be named Bahapki Commons after the tribe, and a custom-made cabinet displaying Mechoopda items will be at the entrance of the building. Guzzi said tribal display items will be rotated in the display. A display honoring the first Mechoopda male and female graduates will be on display at the entrance as well.
“We’re accomplishing a ton of goals with this building,” Guzzi said. “Sustainability, moving the teaching and learning spaces forward, the active learning concepts and then we’re also having an opportunity to honor the Mechoopda whose land we have our campus on. So its really a win-win all around.”