Celebration of the Dedication of the Science Hall Expansion

October 17, 2016 (Notre Dame, Ind.) —The College community celebrated the expansion and renovation of Science Hall on Friday. Jennifer Mathile Prikkel ’95 was on campus to celebrate on behalf of her parents, MaryAnn and Clayton Mathile, for the family’s $10 million investment in the facility. It is the largest private gift in Saint Mary’s history.

WSBT was on campus to cover the event.

President Jan Cervelli thanked the Mathile-Prikkel families for their contribution to the College.

“Saint Mary’s College has provided science studies for women since the time of the Civil War. This tradition takes a great leap forward thanks to the Mathiles and Prikkels, whose vision and generosity assure that our students and faculty will work in the best laboratories and classrooms. The space, technology, and equipment will serve as catalysts for education and discovery.”

Jen told the crowd, which included faculty, students, alumnae, and members of the Board of Trustees, “When my parents and I toured Science Hall in 2011, we began to imagine a future that Saint Mary’s was destined to create. A future where innovative and creative solutions are discovered by faith-filled and compassionate women who are also world renowned scientists.”

The upgrades to Science Hall are extensive and include collaborative space for students, faculty, and disciplines. The chemistry and biology floors each have 4,000 additional square feet of laboratory, classroom, and study space. Physics now has a dedicated floor on the lower level and the new greenhouse was completed in the summer of 2014.

The changes have already had a transformative effect on faculty-student research. Saint Mary’s now has two “clean labs,” which feature an elevated level of safety and limited access. These biology labs provide students access to new research opportunities that normally takes place at the graduate level.

  • The Biosafety Level II Microbiology Research Lab provides safe research space for bacteria like Staph and Salmonella. It also provides space for collaborative research with Nursing on improving cleanliness protocols in hospitals.
     
  • The Tissue Culture lab safely houses cell cultures. This lab will allow students to research how cells respond to different chemicals, providing insights into how human tissue might respond. For example, student research could determine how cancer cells respond to different drugs.

More about the renovation, floor by floor, can be found here.

About Saint Mary's College: Celebrating over 175 years of empowering women to make a difference in the world, Saint Mary’s College is recognized as a pioneer and continued force in the education of women. A Catholic, liberal arts institution in Notre Dame, Indiana, the College offers more than 50 undergraduate academic programs and also offers co-educational master’s degrees.

Contact for News Media: Haleigh Ehmsen, Media Relations Associate, Saint Mary’s College, hehmsen@saintmarys.edu (574) 284-5343

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