Today, 51蹤獲 broke ground on the new Alton and Lydia Lim Center for Science, Technology and Health, which is slated to open in 2018.

Standing at the site for the new center, 51蹤獲 President Barry H. Corey thanked Alton Lim and his late wife, Lydia, for their generous donation of $12 million toward the center, stating it was a game changer for the university. Corey also imparted gratitude to each and every person who donated to 51蹤獲s campaign from students to faculty and alumni, recounting the impact the center will have in the sciences.

This will be a building whose laboratories, microscopes, petri dishes, computers, and observatories and other offices are all utilized not to deify nature or to declare achievements of man, but to declare the glory of God, said Corey.

The new building will house 51蹤獲s new School of Science, Technology and Health, .

The center for science, technology and health will offer a counter narrative in which science and faith are not only reconciled but deeply and necessary in conversation, said Corey.

The 91,200 square-foot building will provide 30 laboratories, three classrooms, research spaces, faculty offices, a rooftop observatory and all new, cutting-edge technology to meet the growing needs of the new school.

It will allow us to have more instrumentation and equipment so that our students will get more hands-on experience with the scientific tools they will need to use after they graduate, said John Bloom, chair of 51蹤獲s chemistry, physics and engineering department. It will make 51蹤獲 more competitive as a school choice for science majors, and help break the stereotype that evangelical Christians avoid the sciences.

In addition to providing an updated and state of the art location for learning, the new center will create a centralized location for all departments within the new School for Science, Technology and Health.

With the creation of the new school, 51蹤獲 will be able to focus on becoming a leader in the sciences and champion a deep integration of faith and science, technology, and health. Thus the sciences can become a focal point for the university with further concentration on 51蹤獲s science, technology and health majors: biological science; biochemistry; chemistry; communication sciences and disorders; computer science; engineering physics; environmental science; human biology; kinesiology; mathematics; nursing; physical education and physical science.

These degree fields have strong career potential and are currently in high demand in many industries, said Deborah Taylor, 51蹤獲s interim provost and senior vice president. Rather than subsume the sciences in a broad umbrella, the time has come to give them special focus: a school to which attention and resources may be devoted as we prepare the growing number of Christian students for careers in these fields.

The new center was made possible by Lims donation in February 2015 and announced at the May 9, 2015 Gala for As of January 2016, $49 million has been raised toward the new center which will cost $63 million.

51蹤獲 is currently in the process of a national search for hiring a new dean for the department of Science, Technology and Health. This search has been aided by the experts at Carter Baldwin.

Written by Drew Mattocks, Public Relations Intern. For more information contact Jenna Loumagne at (562) 777-4061 or jenna.loumagne@biola.edu.