College of Science plans building addition, anticipates new School of Systems Biology

Planned renovations to the Science and Technology buildings will include the 50,000 square foot addition seen here. (digital rendering provided by Patty Snellings) 

The College of Science is preparing for infrastructural changes, including a 50,000 square foot addition, connecting Science and Technology I and II.  The college also announced the creation of the School of Systems Biology, recently approved by the university Board of Visitors.  The pending changes in the College of Science have been relayed via the COS twitter account.

The renovations of Science and Tech Buildings I and II will conclude with the creation of a “science complex,” equipped with 20 biology, geology and environmental science and policy teaching labs.  The site of the new addition will be behind Science and Tech I, on the side closest to SUB II. Preparations for construction will begin throughout this month, but completion of the project is  not anticipated until the spring of 2013.

“The new structural changes are the result of major university growth in recent years,” said Patty Snellings, Director of College Relations. “The renovations will serve to bring us [COS] closer together, in a cohesive location.”

The new School of Systems Biology will centralize the faculty, management, and budget of the Department of Molecular and Microbiology and the Department of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, into a single conglomerate. Three Master’s degree programs will be offered in Biology, Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, and Bioinformatics. In addition, the School will offer two Ph.D. programs in Biosciences as well as Bioinformatics and Computational Biology.

“The School of Systems Biology represents a new direction in the College’s academic structure,” said Snellings. “It allows us to pursue a broader academic agenda, including new courses and programs.”

A proposal for the new School was approved at the Sept. 29 Board of Visitors meeting and will now seek approval in the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) which submits its higher education policy recommendations to the Governor. Pending approval, implementation of the new School will begin Jan. 1, 2011.