Apr 17, 2012

New MSU plant sciences building opens

Wind advisories on Monday did not stop kinesiology junior Max Golec from strolling through the courtyard and gardens behind the new Molecular Plant Sciences Building, which officially opened Friday.

Ground was broken on the building in April 2010 and it was substantially complete in December 2011. The Board of Trustees approved the project in 2010 at a $43.2 million budget.

The new look of the building encouraged Golec to cross the street from the Biomedical and Physical Sciences Building, where most of his classes are held, to the new four-story, 90,000-square-foot building connecting the Plant Biology Laboratories and the Plant and Soil Sciences Building.“Though most other students probably don’t come back here, I think it benefits everyone,” Golec said of the new building.

University engineer Bob Nestle said the building was completed on time and within budget, even though there were issues with subcontractors at the beginning.

“I think the project has gone very well,” Nestle said. “Everyone we’ve talked to is very pleased with the result.”

Department of Crop and Soil Sciences professor Dave Douches said the primary additions the building has offered include a new atrium, more spaces for group projects and floors and laboratories that integrate scientists from the original two buildings.

“We’re all committed to this move because of the benefits of the interactions and the new facilities,” Douches said.

Departments including plant biology, crop and soil science, horticulture and plant pathology will use the building, according to an MSU release.

The modern-looking addition gives the building a stark contrast from the older buildings nearby — something students and faculty alike have noticed.

“I know many of my colleagues are envious,” said associate professor Shin-Han Shiu, who works in the Department of Plant Biology and has a new office in the addition.

The new labs bring together scientists who study subjects along the same lines in entirely different ways, Shiu said.

Shiu said many of his colleagues who have not been moved to the new building also deserve the chance to work in the building’s upgraded labs.

He said everyone has deeply appreciated the university’s generosity, but many older labs on campus also desperately need renovation.

Horticulture and urban and regional planning senior Michelle Leppek said she also enjoys having the new building addition.

“It’s nice to feel the university remembers us,” Leppek said. “(We’re) a little out of the way.”

Golec said the building is perfect for studying and he often can be found in the comfortable chairs in the atrium. He said his secret studying spot is known to few and far more comfortable than waiting for class on the cold, hard floors of the Biomedical and Physical Sciences Building.

Despite the adjustments both faculty and students will go through as faculty and students transition to new offices and classrooms, students such as Golec appreciate the final product.

“It’s my little secret — at least for now,” Golec said. The State News

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