The newest addition to the Health Science Center, the colorful and high-tech Academic Learning & Teaching Center, will be dedicated at 11 a.m., Tuesday, Feb. 16. The event, which is open to the public, will include speakers, demonstrations of the building’s advanced technology and self-guided tours.
The new building, on the Long campus adjacent to the School of Medicine and Holly Auditorium, will add 130,000 square feet of multipurpose space to the Health Science Center at a total cost of $50.7 million.
The building brings 33 new high-tech classrooms to the campus ranging in size from a seminar room that can seat 10 to a large classroom that can seat 280. In the large classrooms on the third floor, students will be seated in groups of 10. Each table features connectivity to the A/V system, so a teams’ project can be displayed on all the screens in the room. There is a faculty development center to help faculty master the technology that is employed in the building. An outreach classroom on the first floor will allow the Health Science Center to effectively offer high school students opportunities to gain experiences and insight into medical/health careers.
The first digital gross anatomy classrooms on campus will be housed in the building’s sub-level. The new technology makes use of MRI images that are stitched together to provide a 3-D experience of human anatomy. In addition to training students, digital anatomy is used by physicians to plan surgeries and practice surgical routines.
A walk-in food service area, colorful dining rooms and an outside eating area are on the first floor. A dining area known as the Panorama will offer full service, sit-down dining. Food carts will have a buffet style choice of healthy entrees and salads.
The building’s architects, Munoz Architects, were inspired by gene mapping to create the brightly colored accents on the building façade. The boldly shaped exterior with its radiused corners and LED lighting is an innovative addition to the Medical Center.