MEMPHIS, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Rhodes College today held a dedication ceremony for Robertson Hall, its new $34 million, 54,674-square-foot cutting-edge science facility. The ceremony included a reveal of the renovated Briggs Hall—now home for computer science studies and a virtual reality lab—and the Bill and Carole Troutt Quadrangle.
“Rhodes is one of a select group of liberal arts colleges offering a top-tier education in the sciences,” says Board of Trustees Chair Cary Fowler. “With Robertson Hall, we unleash the creative capacity and aspirations of our faculty and students today, tomorrow, and for years to come.”
Robertson Hall, named for Lola ’33 and Charles Robertson ’29 in honor of their dedication to the sciences, houses four biology and two chemistry faculty, with six teaching labs, five research labs, and three classrooms.
“An architectural gem with extraordinary functional design, it will encourage future scientists and provide Rhodes faculty and students with a state-of-the-art facility for teaching and learning,” says Rhodes College President Marjorie Hass.
Robertson Hall maintains the Collegiate Gothic style of architecture while directing natural light to its interior spaces through the unique use of monumental glazing—a floor to ceiling glass system—at the main entrances and west face. Other features include unique seating areas for student collaboration, custom-designed furniture and storage units, and a walk-in cold laboratory for conducting experiments at refrigerated temperatures.
Pre-medicine and biological sciences are top subjects for the college’s entering class this year. The Rhodes experience provides students opportunities to conduct research with professor-mentors in their areas of interest, and classes tie-in with scientific practice within the greater Memphis community.
The 19,244-square-foot Briggs Hall houses five faculty offices and six computer labs, two research labs, and three classrooms. The virtual reality lab allows users to create virtual environments such as exploring a model of the human heart or navigating the ocean.
The new Bill and Carole Troutt Quadrangle—honoring the college’s 19th president and first lady—is bounded by the Barret Library, Briggs Hall, Hassell Hall, and Robertson Hall. The quadrangle layout is similar to those found at Oxford University.
For more information about Rhodes College, visit: https://www.rhodes.edu/content/about-rhodes.
