College Unveils $30M Sci Addition

By Catherine Manzione

March 1 marked a monumental day for the Queens College faculty and students. Early Monday morning, Queens College held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to unveil the $30 million expansion to the Remsen Hall science building complete with state-of-the-art labs and student lounges.

Queens College officials cut the ribbon on the Remsen Hall addition.
Queens College President James Muyskens opened the ceremony by thanking New York legislators for providing the $30 million that made the new Remsen expansion possible. Other speakers present were CUNY Vice Chancellor for Facilities Planning, Construction, and Management Iris Wienshall, Dean of Divisions of Mathematics & Natural Science Robert Engel, and Carter Hodgkin, is the artist responsible for the aesthetic design of the new expansion to the building.

This expansion to Remsen includes seven brand new labs for teaching, four research labs, and lounges on each floor.

While making plans to renovate, Queens College kept their students in mind. Administrators said they hoped this new renovation would attract more students who were interested in science. They also wanted their students to feel more comfortable while working in these labs with new and safe equipment that would enhance their learning experience.

Muyskens said he believes that this new building will make students “anxious to come and learn.” He said he also believes that the new lounges will give commuter students a chance to interact more with one another and have a place to study. “We’re hoping that commuter students will feel more at home with these new lounges,” said Muyskens.

The new three-story mosaic added to the building was based on what Hodgkin called “a sub-atomic particle illusion. It starts at the top building and falls to the bottom, based on the law of gravity.” Hodgkin called her work “visual poetry,” and said she believes that it would attract students to the new building. The 1,096-square-foot mosaic has 105 colors with a total 55,162 very small tiles. Michell/Giurgola Architects and Jacobs Engineering were behind the renovation for Remsen.

Student Andrew Demasters said he believes that “the new building will help students excel in science and be a positive change for Queens College.” The Queens College faculty and administration hope that this new renovation will lead to many more renovations and expansions in the near future.

Reach Intern Catherine Manzione at cmanzione@queenstribune.com or (718) 357-7400, Ext. 124.