USD Magazine, Spring 2004

PROFESSORS SEE SCIENTIFIC

CONVERGENCE IN NEW CENTER

by Timothy McKernan T he Donald P. Shil ey Center for Science and Technology is the largest academic faci lity on campus, bur its essence is contained in one small room. Room 287, a laboratory in the building's east wing, is home to rhree experiments chat illustrate che building's purpose and its power. In chis lab, physics Professor Greg Severn, chemistry Professor James Bolender and marine sciences Professor Michel Boudrias, while con– ducting their own research, also are working together to develop a new way to reach science. "Interdiscipl inary collaboration is the long way ro say we share swff," Severn says. "We're using che same piece of equipment, a laser spectroscope char allows the swdy of molecules according to the amount of light they emit, bur doing very different things with it. "Jim and I, for example, are doing separate things with the same iodine molecule, while Michel is using the lasers to measure the speed of certain organisms moving through liquid," Severn adds. "When we talk about our research, what they do gives me a different perspective on what I do, and I chink chat helps me be a better scholar and a better reacher." The trio recencly received a National Science Foundation grant to cake their collaboration to a higher level. They now are developing a curriculum to ream-reach laser spectronomy, and they hope their combined expertise and experience will add a new dimension to USD's science education. "We are hoping rhac, for example, a physics swdent will better understand his own work if he has an appre– ciation for how a marine science swdent uses the same equipment," Severn says. "Enriching the curriculum like this was something we could never do in rhe past, because we simply did nor have rhe faci lities for ir._ Now the sky is rhe li mit. " As the science center wraps up its first academic year as a folly operational facility, USD Magazine toured its labs and classrooms. On these pages is a look inside the center and a glimpse at some of the ways in which the building is fulfilling its promise to revolutionize science education at Alcala Park.

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