Biologists, botanists and geologists will be working under the same roof when the new Science Initiative (SI) building opens on the University of Wyoming campus. Designed with strategically placed collaboration spaces for interdisciplinary research activities, the state-of-the-art facility will transform the way the university investigates and teaches science.
The project—with a construction cost of $90 million—encompasses 153,000 sq ft of classrooms and labs to support two new research centers: the Center for Advanced Scientific Instrumentation and the Center for Integrative Biological Research. In addition, 27,000 sq ft of cutting-edge greenhouse facilities are being constructed on the roof and will be lit up at night, serving as a beacon for the Laramie community. The Wyoming Legislature approved the Science Initiative project in 2015 and supplied a total of $88 million for the project over two legislative sessions, while the university raised $15 million toward the $103-million project.