New Interdisciplinary Greenhouse

Scheduled Completion: Fall 2012

Construction Projects:

View photos of the progress on the greenhouse.

The beauty of this design is that you will see students and faculty representing all science disciplines—from biology and chemistry to earth and environmental sciences—under one roof, utilizing the resources of a modern, sophisticated research center. The greenhouse will be an incubator for interdisciplinary study in the sciences.

—Tom Arnold
associate professor of biology

Funded by a $1 million gift from alumni John ’59 and Inge Paul Stafford ’58, the Dr. Inge P. Stafford Greenhouse for Teaching and Research is expected to have a transformative effect on sustainability education, interdisciplinary learning and the college’s science curriculum. The new state-of-the-art facility will include:

three independent research zones
a general-use greenhouse area
solar panels, which will help to offset the electrical consumption
an adjacent classroom-lab that will allow students to move conveniently from the greenhouse into the classroom
and a preparation potting area and climate-controlled laboratory, which are critical to experiments and research on marine ecosystems, seasonally dependent plants and air quality.

The greenhouse will enhance research and teaching in areas such as physics, which incorporates solar-energy projects; earth sciences, which revolve around climatology, paleontology and mineralogy; and biology—one of the largest majors at Dickinson—by expanding student-faculty research so that undergraduates regularly assist in labs and collaborate on publications and conference presentations.

The project includes significant landscaping work on the south side of Kaufman Hall, which will transform the area from a drab parking lot into a distinctive new campus green space. In addition to its aesthetic value, this space will provide collaborative opportunities for the departments and programs within Kaufman Hall, including ALLARM, earth sciences and the Center for Sustainability Education.

The greenhouse will frame the science campus from the north and spotlight the location of the Center for Sustainability Education, a significant interdisciplinary undertaking that is bringing national attention to Dickinson for its leadership role in sustainability education and stewardship.