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OCU officials announced plans for $2.2 million in chemistry lab upgrades during the fall Board of Trustees meeting.
Currently, the plan includes the renovation of three chemistry labs in the Dawson-Loeffler Science and Mathematics building. The project is scheduled for completion during the summer of 2015, so the labs will be available for use during the fall semester.
The lab updates will include a classroom/laboratory combination that will allow students to participate in lab work while having full-class discussions. The design is based off the department’s use of Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning, a scientific standard combines class and lab elements in order to enhance the learning experience.
Marty O’Gwynn, the vice president for university advancement and external relations, said in a recent press release that the department was excited to launch the renovation plans.
“Offering new lab space will help OCU to continue to attract outstanding science students and maintain a tradition of success for equipping our students for graduate study or medical school,” O’Gwynn said.
During the board meeting, the trustees were also updated on the addition of an anatomy lab for human dissection which has been discussed. The lab is prospected to be housed in the Dawson-Loeffler center. If the lab receives accreditation approval, OCU will become the second school in the state to offer a Physician’s Assistant program, which requires an anatomy lab. Classes in the new Physician’s Assistant program are scheduled to begin in January 2016.
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