College of Science

There are a few major initiatives the College of Sciences is engaged with for this spring's Day of Giving. The first is the renovation of Brewer Science Hall. This renovation will allow for growth of the Environment, Health, Safety & Sustainability program and provide modern laboratory spaces in Brewer as well as an exterior expansion to include offices, classrooms, and a conference room. Also, as sustainability is included in the name of the program, plans include using gray water in restrooms, offsetting electrical usage with solar panels, and other concepts surrounding sustainable design. 

The second initiative is to create an endowed research fund to support faculty mentored student research. Faculty in the College of Sciences do not believe in performing research simply for the sake of exploring an interesting problem but in using research as a teaching tool. Working in a laboratory with a faculty mentor standing at their side is a great way to get students excited about pursuing further studies in graduate or professional schools. Many students who participate in research intensive courses are able to author a manuscript and demonstrate to graduate and professional school admissions committees their ability to succeed. Establishing and supporting an endowed research fund is a great way to provide the monetary resources necessary to keep student research thriving at the University of Findlay.

Finally, the next project is the renovation of the dome inside the planetarium. Professor Steve Wild currently oversees the planetarium and he has greatly increased the number of shows for audiences from the university, surrounding schools, and the community at large. The planetarium was constructed over 50 years ago and periodically during the past 50 years, the star projectors have been upgraded or replaced. Each projector upgrade increased image quality and provided images of the latest discoveries regarding the cosmos. Recently, Professor Wild was lucky enough to find generous support for a new projector upgrade. The most recent upgraded star projector is a 4K video system connected to a desktop computer with a high-end graphics card. Unfortunately, the high resolution of this system has revealed flaws in the geometry of the 50(+) year old planetarium dome. Images projected on certain parts of the dome are out of focus. The only solution is to remove the interior dome and replace it with a new structure. Your support will assist in replacing the interior dome, ensuring that future audiences are able to view up-to-date and enjoyable shows for years to come.