New Physical Sciences (PS) building features environmentally-friendly features, Student Success Center and more. Represents 12th building to open in last 9 years thanks to 2002's $190 million voter-approved Measure P Bond.

The morning of June 20th was a milestone for Dr. John Stanskas and the 26 students taking General Chemistry this summer.

“You’re the first class in this new building,” said Chemistry professor Stanskas, referring to the Physical Sciences building.

SBVC’s largest building at 56,000 square feet will be dedicated on Friday, August 12, 2011. It is the last of 12 new buildings constructed at the college with funds from a $190 million general obligation bond that passed in 2002. The new building combines the old Chemistry and Physical Sciences buildings that were demolished this summer.

Dr. Susan Bangasser, Dean of Science, said the three-floor building includes a mixture of classrooms and laboratories for the science and math disciplines. Bangasser said faculty and staff began planning for the building in the 2006-07 academic year. Previously located in the old Chemistry building, the Student Success Center (formerly the Math & Science Student Success Center) will provide a comfortable, flexible location on the first floor for all types of tutoring and academic support.

Physical Sciences (PS) will also be the campus’ first LEED-certified building. LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, recognizes buildings and communities that use strategies to improve performance in energy savings, water efficiency and indoor environments. Dozens of interactive, educational display signs, featuring 13 variations on themes such as water efficiency and the quality of indoor environments, are planned for the building.

The first General Chemistry course is being held in one of Physical Sciences’ spacious, 56-seat stadium-style lecture halls overlooking the Art Gallery. Many of the seats are swivel rather than traditional hard-back chairs. The students were impressed with the new building and the room they will get to know very well during the seven week summer session.

La Triece Crawford, 19, of San Bernardino, is a student at the University of California, Merced. She is majoring in Human Biology and needs to take the General Chemistry 1 course. She said she liked the new lecture hall, which is a contrast to the 300-seat room she spends time in at UC Merced.

“It’s a lot smaller and more intimate,” said La Triece of SBVC‟s lecture hall.

Richard Gibson, 35, of Beaumont, was the first student to arrive in the new classroom. Richard graduated in May with an Associate of Arts degree and is studying to be an electrical engineer but needed to take the Chemistry course this summer. He had taken classes in the old Physical Science building and said there definitely was a difference.

“It’s just beautiful,” said Richard, of the new building. “It’s like you’re on a university campus.”

Map of New PS Building