The Center for Science and Mathematics
The proposed Center for Science and Mathematics will occupy the geographic center of the Cal Poly campus and will revitalize the campus core. By creating a university hub for study, research and reflection, the Center for Science and Mathematics will propel Cal Poly into the forefront of national undergraduate research and polytechnic majors in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics – collectively known as STEM.
The new Center is critical to enabling the Cal Poly Master Plan’s enrollment increases in the STEM disciplines which are crucial to fueling California’s economy and maintaining our country’s global competitiveness.
Every student on campus will attend classes or labs in the new multi-story building. Seventy-five percent of the teaching done in the Center will be for students from colleges other than the College of Science and Mathematics.
Replacing the old science building, the new Center will occupy just one-third of the footprint of the existing building, which is more than 50 years old. The Center will house classrooms, student and faculty research space, laboratories, student project, and gathering spaces and offices.
Learning will also be facilitated through the use of enhanced classrooms that integrate networking, digital and audio-visual techniques.
Private support for the Center will provide undergraduates with access to additional instruments, software, materials and expertise – benefits usually reserved for graduate students. Research is also key to attracting top faculty, as a new generation of teacher-scholars seeks universities which boast ample research space and flexible classrooms,
such as the ones envisioned for the new Center.