Shaping Spaces: Research Rich, Interdisciplinary Spaces for Undergraduate Science that Serve All Students
Connecting the Intellectual, Social, and Physical Infrastructure for Learning

Archived Webcast September 12, 2005 2 Hours Purchase this CD Cost SCUP Members $49.00 Non-members $49.00

Facilities for undergraduate learning in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields must reflect the educational philosophy that a research-rich learning environment that works is one steeped in opportunities for investigation from the very first day for all students through capstone courses for majors.

This webcast will give you insight into spaces that

• pay attention to building a research-rich learning environment,
• shape an interdisciplinary learning environment, and
• ensure the success of all students (motivating them to persist and succeed in the study of STEM fields).

Four things are clear:

• the highly interactive, experiential, research-rich learning environment has documented success in attracting students into the study of science, in encouraging them to persist and succeed, and in motivating them to consider careers in related fields.
• such approaches to learning and teaching place special demands on the physical infrastructure,
• a critical challenge for those planning new spaces for undergraduate science learning is to be alert to the changing context that suggests new questions: about research on how people learn; the effectiveness of specific pedagogical approaches; the role of information technologies; and the changing nature of the scientific and technological enterprise, and
• there are lessons learned from the experience of academics, architects, and lab designers over the past decade that can serve as a road-map; presenting approaches to planning that can be adapted by others, so their work can proceed more efficiently, creatively, and cost-effectively.

Today's college students are active learners. In fields relating to science, there is a whole set of issues relating to spaces and community that planners must address in order to facilitate active learning. These include how to connect communities within and beyond the campus, how to incorporate technologies that connect, how to provide a venue for the formal and informal exchange of ideas and knowledge, and how to signal that science is a central liberal art for your campus community. There must be space for social interactions for face-to-face communication, and for celebrating the scientific community that works in those spaces.

Planners must work to ensure that the intellectual and the physical environment gives students persistent opportunities to ask questions, gather and analyze data, often across disciplinary fields, and to present the outcomes of their explorations and analysis.

Learning Discussion Points

Participants in this webcast will examine specific spaces for science that reflect attention to three challenges facing leaders who have responsibility for shaping the science learning environment at their institution:

1. building research-rich learning environments that reflect insights from cognitive science about how people learn.
2. shaping interdisciplinary environments for learning that model the way 21st century science is practiced.
3. creating a humane environment in which all students—majors and non-majors alike—feel welcome to take an active role in a true intellectual community.

Who Should Participate?

This webcast will assist those campus leaders responsible for shaping the intellectual, social, and physical environments in which 21st century undergraduates learn about the nature of doing science, about the practice of engineering, and about using the tools of mathematics and technology.

This program will be especially useful to campus teams planning new/renovated spaces for science that recognize the relationship between the quality of space and the quality of program—particularly in shaping learning environments in which current and future students have access to robust learning experiences in STEM fields. Architectural firms may find this webcast of benefit in sharing with their institutional clients.

Campus planning teams will also find this a valuable step in building a common vision for shaping a physical environment for learning that supports their vision for the intellectual and social learning environment.

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SCUP Moderator/Presenter:

Jeanne L. Narum is the director of the Independent Colleges Office (ICO) and the director of Project Kaleidoscope (PKAL), both based in Washington, DC. The ICO serves a select group of liberal arts colleges across the country, assisting in their relations with federal agencies and programs. Narum, with over 20 years of experience with faculty, curricular, and institutional development projects, came to ICO in 1988 from administrative positions at Augsburg College (vice-president for college relations), Dickinson College (director of development), and St. Olaf College (director of government and foundation relations). In 1989, she became the founding director of PKAL, and has continued to have responsibility for developing and coordinating the various facets of PKAL, including the Faculty for the 21st Century (PKAL F21) network, the seminars and publications on facilities planning, and the workshops and events on disciplinary, topical, and institutional issues. Narum was publisher for Project Kaleidoscope Volume I What Works: Building Natural Science Communities, and editor-in-chief for PKAL Volume III Structures for Science: A Handbook for Planning Facilities for Undergraduate Natural Science Communities and The Committee of Visitors Report: What Difference Do Improved Facilities Make? Narum also is a member of the National Research Councils Committee on Recognizing, Evaluating, and Rewarding Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching and the Quantitative Literacy Steering Committee of the National Council on Education and the Disciplines. She has spoken and written widely on the work of transforming the learning environment for undergraduate students in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology.

Presenters Invited

Mark C. Hartmann is science & research architect at HarleyEllis in Chicago, IL. Hartmann brings nearly 30 years of experience in higher education, health care, science, civic, and campus planning related projects throughout the nation. He has a broad range of experience that includes programming, planning, documentation, and building of university research laboratories, teaching facilities, and health care facilities. Hartmann's knowledge, experience, organizational skills, and good-natured attitude ensure professional service, thorough documentation, and an effective and enjoyable process. Hartmann also serves as a lecturer on the architectural industry at various university and professional seminars and conferences.

Charles Kirby, pincipal at Einhorn Yaffee Prescott Architecture & Engineering, P.C., has more than 25 years of experience in the design of college and university architecture with a focus on undergraduate science and other classrooms, teaching and research laboratories, social and common spaces, and distance learning facilities. A published author, Kirby is a frequent lecturer for SCUP, Tradeline, Project Kaleidoscope, Labs21, and Academic Impressions, having presented on issues relating to the programming and design of higher education science facilities. He is an AIA member and LEED.

Gary McNay, associate principal, Perkins + Will, has 22 years of professional experience, and has been responsible for design, planning and project management on projects whose construction value exceeds $500 million. His efforts with Perkins + Will are focused primarily on programming, planning and design of college and university laboratory buildings that enrich campuses and advance scientific communities. He has presented on a wide variety of issues related to modern academic science buildings at the Harvard GSD Professional Development series, SCUP, PKAL, and Labs 21 conferences around the country. As a part of his practice, McNay tours the best science buildings around the country to learn how science learning and discovery are best enabled.

Howard Wertheimer, a principal with the Science Studio of Lord, Aeck & Sargent, has over 20 years of experience in the strategic planning, programming, design and construction management of projects with a focus on undergraduate science facilities, academic medical research centers and engineering laboratory facilities in the higher education market. Wertheimer is a frequent presenter at science and higher education conferences across the country, and he writes for numerous scientific and architecture trade publications on subjects such as research laboratory strategies and cost savings strategies for renovation projects.

AIA Members and Continuing Education Opportunity

SCUP is a registered provider of continuing education units for the American Institute of Architects (AIA). If you are eligible to earn continuing education units from AIA, sign the AIA report form that will be sent to each listening site in advance of the program and fax it back to the SCUP office. SCUP will submit completed session forms to AIA for you. This webcast offers two (2) hours of continuing education units. Anyone attending the broadcast may request a certificate as a record of his or her attendance.

Questions? Please contact Kathy Benton, profdev@scup.org, or call 734.998.6966.