Thanks to a generous lead gift from BP and significant contributions from the MJ Murdock Charitable Trust, and Saltchuk Resources Incorporated, the renovation of the third floor science facilities of Grant Hall, now called the BP Science Center, is now finished and the beautifully improved space is already being fully utilized by students.

The urgently needed science center renovation project has taken APU’s science labs and classrooms from the 20th to the 21st century. As Rusty Myers, Environmental Science Chair noted, "the old third floor spaces were functional, but after 40 years, they were past their prime. Classrooms were outdated, offices existed in converted storage rooms, and students often had to pass through an ongoing class to get to an instructor’s office. There was no dedicated space for outdoor studies trip staging, the GIS lab resided in an old botany lab, and computer and other equipment were connected with numerous extension cords and multiple receptacles. And in particular, the Biology Lab and the Chemistry Lab needed to be modernized and updated with new equipment, fixtures, and workspaces."

As a result of this renovation, we’re proud to say that the past is now "a thing of the past" on the third floor of Grant Hall.

While the most obvious improvement to the science facility is the overall clean, neat and modern appearance of the third floor, the most important changes are those that directly affect student learning and teaching. "The renovation has given our science faculty a top-rate facility in which to use contemporary teaching techniques," Myers said. It has also given our students a fully modernized, student-centered place in which to learn and study.

Unlike the original spaces designed and equipped in 1959, the new science facilities were designed specifically to support APU’s programs in environmental science, marine biology, and outdoor studies. Therefore, the renovated classrooms and laboratories are much more conducive to teaching and learning in these specific areas. Some of the improvements you’ll find include: reconfigured classroom space with the latest technology; fully modernized chemistry, biology, GIS, computer and math labs; and special water systems and dedicated rooms with aquaria for the study of marine biology.

Most importantly, the many improvements made to the physical spaces, combined with the addition of state-of-the-art equipment, means that students studying in any of APU’s science programs will now have the opportunity to conduct research and learn practical job skills using the same types of specialized equipment and facilities that they will eventually use in the workplace. Alaska Pacific University has both undergraduate and graduate programs in Environmental Science allowing the University to provide a steady stream of scientists into both the corporate world and government agencies of Alaska. Approximately 40% of our undergraduate students come to APU to study math, environmental science, marine biology or outdoor studies. While the science facility renovation benefits almost every student at Alaska Pacific University in some way, it will have the greatest impact on these students – the future scientists of Alaska.