STEVENS POINT — The University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point will mark the grand opening of its new state-of-the art chemistry biology building in mid September with a renowned professor and speaker who appeared in the popular television sitcom “The Big Bang Theory.” A ribbon cutting ceremony also will be held.
A “science-on-display” facility, the 176,500-square-foot chemistry biology building features 58 research and teaching laboratories, two lecture halls, seven classrooms, a green roof, tropical conservatory (opening later this fall) and café, according to a UWSP news release.
“Science Matters: Inspiring Creativity and Discovery” will be presented Thursday, Sept. 13, by Brian Greene, a professor of physics and mathematics at Columbia University. The talk begins at 7:30 p.m. at Michelsen Hall in the Noel Fine Arts Center. Tickets are free and available through University Information and Tickets, tickets.uwsp.edu or 715-346-4100. Limited quantities are available.
A ribbon cutting ceremony will be held at 3 p.m. Friday, Sept. 14, at 2101 Fourth Ave., Stevens Point, at the south end of the building off Stanley Street. Building tours will follow from 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. The public may attend free of charge.
All campus parking lots will be open to the public at no charge for these events. Find a campus map at www.uwsp.edu/Parking/Documents/UWSPMap-9-22-16.pdf.
One of the world’s leading theoretical physicists, Greene is an entertaining communicator who has been described by The Washington Post as the “single best explainer of abstruse concepts in the world today,” according to the news release. In his talk, Green will help audiences explore key breakthroughs in science and grasp how abstract discovery can impact the quest to understand how humans fit into the cosmos.
Greene is co-founder of the World Science Festival and has appeared as himself on “The Big Bang Theory” and as a frequent guest of talk-show host Stephen Colbert. He is the author of “The Elegant Universe, The Fabric of the Cosmos” and “The Hidden Reality,” which collectively spent 65 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and sold more than 2 million copies worldwide.
The project was approved by the State Building Commission through $75 million in capital funding as part of the state’s 2013-2015 biennium budget, according to the release. This capital budget is separate from the university’s base state operations budget and academic programs. Capital projects are not subject to cuts to the UW System, nor can capital funding be used to offset UW-Stevens Point’s fiscal challenges.
Photo courtesy UWSP.
