Science Center Renovation

College of Education & Human Services

2019-2020 Renovation

Science Preparation Area

During the 2019-2020 academic year, several areas within the center were restored to what they originally looked like in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Below are pictures that show the transformation.

Restored sliding glass doors for shelves in the science laboratory preparation room now serve as a mainstay of organization. In fact, all the original sliding glass doors were found and reattached throughout the renovated area. Several cabinets now display antique science education related artifacts - all of which make up unique physical, earth/space, and life science museum-type exhibits. A new refrigerator was installed for faculty to use for science methods courses, workshops as well as the center's special events. The center's facilities also serve as a location for regional elementary and middle school students to participate in a range of programs designed to encourage STEM learning.

Materials have been organized for both students and faculty to use during teaching of science methods courses offered as part of the teacher education program in the School of Education. This area is u sed as a place for meetings, science preparation activities, eating lunch, as well as a place to serve refreshments and snacks during workshops and other related center events. Some of the storage areas within the science center were inaccessible for years; yet, once restored, now house Curriculum & Instruction Master's projects as well as club supplies for Kappa Delta Pi.

Science Laboratory Classroom

The science laboratory classroom next to the Science Center preparation area (also known as the science break area) was renovated. This classroom offers pre-service teachers a space to work on science projects and homework. This space is used by science education faculty in preparation for classes, Family Science Nights, The Western Illinois Regional Science Olympiad, as well as the Annual K-8 Science Update Conference. The classroom is also used for various environmental science workshops such as Project Learning Tree, Project WET and Project Wild as well as the Western Rocketry Club. Two distinct science themed murals were added, while the entire area was re-painted during the early spring 2020 semester.

The science laboratory classroom offers a resource library, housing the complete compendium of Activities in Mathematics and Science (AIMS) as well as select titles of the Great Explorations in Mathematics and Science (GEMS) activity guides. Pre-service teachers can check out and use these materials as they plan peer-to-peer lessons, inquiry-based science lesson plans, as well as independent inquiry experiments. The most current year of Science Scope, the National Science Teacher's Association (NSTA) magazine is also available for pre-service teachers to checkout.