MiraCosta College’s Cardiff campus celebrated the opening of its new science complex with a ribbon-cutting Sept. 2.
Work on the building at the San Elijo Campus in Cardiff started nearly a year ago, according to a MiraCosta news release. About 75 people attended the ribbon-cutting, the college reported.
Carlos Lopez, MiraCosta College’s dean of mathematics and sciences, said the building’s new labs will help MiraCosta expand science courses available to students in the district’s southern region, according to the college’s news release.
“The new lab building exemplifies our commitment to students’ success in the sciences at the San Elijo Campus,” Dean Dana Smith said in the announcement. “Students will be able to complete their transfer preparation here, and we are pleased to provide a clear pathway to academic achievement.”
The 4,700-square-foot, $5.3 million complex provides a chemistry lab, general lab and preparation lab, and includes rooms for the storage of instruments and equipment, according to the college. There is also an outdoor meeting area for students.
“Most of them aren’t sure who they are yet and don’t know yet who they will become. But they know they like science,” oceanography professor Keith Meldahl said in the announcement, commenting about students’ discovery of the subject through the college’s courses. “They are curious people. They are ambitious. They want to know how the world works, and they want to discover new things.”
After the ribbon-cutting, visitors were given a tour of the complex and learned about some of the equipment in the lab.
Chemistry instructor Theresa Bolanos, who spoke at the event, could not contain her enthusiasm for the new building. “We are so excited to move into our new science laboratories at the San Elijo Campus,” chemistry instructor Theresa Bolanos said in the announcement. “With the new facility designed specifically for physical science and advanced chemistry, our southern district students will now be able to complete all of their transfer course work in Cardiff.”
Find photos of the celebration online at www.flickr.com/photos/miracosta_college/.