The third-floor chemistry laboratories in the McFadden Science Center are in the process of receiving renovations worth $1.3 million.  

The project is funded by a combination of donations and grants. Donors include the Ryan Foundation and the Welch Foundation. The renovations will increase capacity, improve safety, enhance efficiency and revamp equipment. Brian Franks, executive director of facilities development and operations, has been one of the chief coordinators of the project. 

“The overall goal of this project was to increase the number of students that they can assign to each [course] section,” Franks said. “Before they could only have a handful of students in a lab course, now they can have up to 16.” 

Construction began at the beginning of the past summer; progress has been hindered by various challenges. The project is expected to be complete by the spring semester. 

“The goal was to get it done before the fall semester started and that did not happen,” Franks said. “We had delays associated with delivery of equipment, staffing shortages [and] the faculty made changes to the project along the way.” 

TxWes chemistry faculty, engineers and architects have collaborated closely with Franks to optimize the renovations.  

“Needs change, and we try to work with the faculty very closely throughout the course of the project,” Franks said. 

Before the refurbishments, there was originally only one large laboratory space which was split into two sections for general and organic chemistry. Once complete, the renovations will see four different dedicated laboratory spaces constructed. Senior chemistry and computer science major Roberto Nunez, president of the TxWes chapter of the American Chemical Society, said the following about his experience with the old lab.   

“The facility was old, some of the fume hoods didn’t operate as intended which forced students to share fume hoods during complex experiments,” Nunez said. 

The east laboratory, room 307, has already been completed and has been open for student use since the beginning of the fall semester. Nunez said the following on the quality of the new lab. 

“One of the most exciting things about the renovated labs is the fact that everything is new and clean,” Nunez said.  “Everyone likes to have modernized facilities and that goes double for chemists as being clean and organized is crucial to obtaining accurate results.”

The renovations mark the first major project in McFadden since its construction in 1967. The building’s age has presented unique hurdles; construction was briefly halted earlier in the process due to asbestos insulation being uncovered.  

The renovations aim to modernize the labs and bridge the generational gap. Grace Pavelka, senior biology major and president of the TxWes chapter of Tri Beta—a national biology honor society— reveled in this prospect.  

“I think it’s awesome that we are able to improve the science building because a lot of the stuff is very out of date,” Pavelka said. “With biology and chemistry, always having the new technology is super important so that we can learn the new techniques that everybody else is learning,”