Holy Cross Celebrates Official Opening of Integrated Science Complex

Nobel Prize winner Dr. Joseph E. Murray ’40 to be in attendance at dedication and blessing on March 23

WORCESTER, Mass. – Rev. Michael C. McFarland, S.J., president of the College of the Holy Cross, and Timothy R. Austin, vice president for academic affairs and dean of the College, will preside at a dedication and blessing ceremony for Holy Cross’ new state-of-the-art, $64 million science complex on March 23 at 4 p.m. in the Swords Atrium.  Tours of the building will be offered beginning at 3 p.m., and a reception will follow the formal program. The events are free and open to the public.

Among those in attendance will be Dr. Joseph E. Murray ’40, who performed the first successful organ transplant in 1954, thus ushering in a new era in medicine. Murray’s subsequent research advanced doctors’ ability to prevent transplant rejection, and in 1990 he was honored for his pioneering medical work with the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

With the design and construction of the new science complex, Holy Cross completed the most ambitious building project in its history on schedule and on budget. Alumni, parents, friends, and local foundations gave more than $20 million to support the project.

Innovations in teaching science have long been a hallmark of the College’s undergraduate curriculum. The Park B. and Linda Smith Laboratories, a  four-story building which now links to the existing science and social science buildings on campus (Beaven, O’Neil, and Swords halls), opened last January. With the completion of the top-to-bottom renovation of Haberlin Hall early this semester, the complex offers many more opportunities for interdisciplinary teaching and learning of the sciences.

The new complex links the departments of biology, chemistry, mathematics/computer science, physics, psychology, and sociology/anthropology; and thus integrates classrooms, labs, private offices, and lecture halls across disciplines. The new teaching labs in chemistry and physics allow students to be fully engaged in the scientific process. From their first science course at Holy Cross to their most sophisticated senior research projects, students work in labs that are specially designed to encourage hands-on, discovery-based exploration.

Designed by the architectural firm of Einhorn, Yaffe & Prescott, the complex was constructed with the highest standards of energy efficiency and innovative environmentally-friendly elements, such as an energy recovery wheel that captures and reuses heat from air being exhausted from the building. National Grid will recognize the project’s energy efficient design and construction just prior to the dedication, at 3 p.m. in the Swords Atrium. National Grid executives Aleta Fazzone (regional director), Chip Mannarino (technical services consultant), and Mike Thompson (account executive) will present an energy rebate check in the amount of $113,541.00 to Holy Cross’ Michael J. Lochhead (vice president of administration and finance) and Scott Merrill (director of physical plant). The College is also seeking Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification.

Related Information:

* Celebrating Science Web site * Before and After Video Shows Extensive Renovation of Haberlin Hall * Live Video: Holy Cross to Celebrate Opening of Integrated Science Complex on March 23