A crowd of chilly but very happy Denisonians gathered one afternoon in October 2011 for the re-dedication of the newly renovated and expanded Ebaugh Laboratories, and even the brisk autumn breeze was no match for the depth of pride in our beautiful new building and the excitement of formally dedicating such an important new element in the teaching and learning of science at Denison.
Speakers during the historic event included Chairman of the Board of Trustees
Thomas Hoaglin '71,
President Dale Knobel, Chairman and Chief Investment Officer of the Sherman Fairchild Foundation
Walter Burke '71, Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Peter Kuhlman, and student
Louise Carroll '12, who is a chemistry department fellow.
Burke, who represented the project's lead donor, The Sherman Fairchild Foundation, described the sheer pleasure he felt in awarding the $5 million gift to Denison that enabled the project, and Hoaglin thanked the project's other major donors who were inspired by the foundation gift to join in and make the building possible
. (Jump to list.)
The original Ebaugh Laboratories were built in 1966 and named for William Clarence Ebaugh, chemistry professor from 1917 to 1945. The renovation and expansion, which took 17 months to complete, has significantly updated the original 32,000 square foot facility, while adding more than 19,000 square feet.
In describing the extraordinary ways the new Ebaugh Labs enhances science, Knobel said, "It is a building with spaces designed to advance Denison's hands-on, experiential teaching and learning. Spaces within the building are modular, allowing a conventional teaching lab to be reconfigured within minutes for group projects and research. Collaboration is key in today's undergraduate science experience. Students work together; they work closely with faculty; and they work across disciplines conducting research."
Carroll, who provided a student's perspective, agreed completely. "This level of collaboration and impromptu tutoring is a direct result of the atmosphere at this college, in this department, and in the physical layout of this new building," she said.
Not only is the renovated Ebaugh better suited to the times, it's green, too. It represents Denison's ongoing policy to conduct all new building and renovations to meet the United States Green Building Council Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification standards. The building's environmental footprint has been minimized by repurposing space and reusing building materials, including 800 tons of materials that were harvested from demolition. Sustainable construction practices were used throughout the project, and more than 20 percent of the materials came from within 500 miles of campus, further reducing energy use.
A two-day slate of well-attended events led up to the dedication ceremony, including Alumni Career Panels in science; an Alumni Seminar in Memory of Dr. Bill Hoffman entitled "Biofuels: A Growing Energy Industry" by professor Shelie Miller '00 of the University of Michigan's School of Natural Resources and Environment; a Chemistry and Biochemistry Alumni Dinner; a Keynote Lecture on "Science in the Service of Society" by Professor Julio de Paula of Lewis and Clark College; and a morning-long Research Symposium on 12 topics ranging from "The Search for New Drugs to Treat Alzheimer's Disease" to "The Chemistry of Medical Imaging," and much more.
Now, even though the festivities and the physical renovation of Ebaugh Labs has been completed, the building will continue to grow in ways that enhance research and discovery. Denison students and faculty members will spend the coming years exploring and making breakthroughs in the sciences of chemistry and biochemistry, and beyond. Ebaugh Labs now joins Samson Talbot Hall of Biological Science and F.W. Olin Science Hall in bring Denison's science facilities to the cutting edge of teaching and research, affirming the college's leadership in advancing the sciences within the 21st Century liberal arts model.
For more Ebaugh Laboratories, see the following posts over in TheDEN:
Denison University expresses deepest gratitude to the generous donors who made Ebaugh Laboratories possible:
- Booth Ferris Foundation
- Hollis Smith French '76 and T. Bondurant
French
- Trustee Sharon Smith Martin '65 and J. Landis Martin
- Trustee
William C. Mulligan '76 and Harriet Blair Mulligan '76
- Edwin S. Parsons
'41 and Tai D. Shigaki '44,
- James B. Summers Jr. '77 and Sheryl A. Summers,
- The late Beverly Thomsen Fleischmann '41 and Robert C. Fleishmann
- The late J. Donald Kincaid '30 and Julianne D. Kincaid,
- The late Robert H. McCulloch '47 and Patricia M. McCulloch
- The late William B. Snyder '36 and Laura S. Snyder