AUM opens $36 million Science & Technology Complex
Auburn University at Montgomery’s (AUM) new $36 million, state-of-the-art Science & Technology Complex officially opened on Monday, marking the beginning of a new era in educating students pursuing degrees in life sciences and STEM fields.
The two-story, 57,000-square-foot facility, located on the campus perimeter and visible from Interstate 85, was abuzz on the opening day of spring semester classes. University administrators toured the building while staff directed students to classrooms, and Warhawk Transit buses transported students to and from the facility.
“We love it,” said AUM Provost Mrinal Varma. “It will enhance the learning experience for all students while serving as a valuable recruitment and retention tool. We wanted to build a world-class facility that would make AUM a destination campus for people in the River Region, and this new building achieves that. It changes and elevates AUM’s profile within the region.”
The new complex, which includes cutting-edge classroom technology, modernized labs, open collaborative spaces, and advanced meeting rooms, opens today and coincides with AUM’s new master’s program in biochemistry and molecular biology. Graduate students in the program receive training in DNA technologies, advanced microscopy, drug development and delivery, and immunological treatments for diseases.
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As a student-centered university, this facility is a significant gift to our students,” Varma said. “We designed the labs to include individualized spaces to support the individualized research of students in our biochemistry and molecular biology graduate program. This building was critical for housing the program and providing students with technology and laboratories to support their academic success and research.”
Douglas Leaman, dean of AUM’s College of Sciences, said the new technology integrated into classrooms and labs at the new facility is designed to transform how AUM students engage with disciplines such as biology, chemistry, environmental science, and other STEM fields.
“This is a state-of-the-art science building for any university,” Leaman said. “We have improved spaces for instruction, laboratory classes, and research to offer students advanced instructional strategies such as active learning in gateway biology and chemistry courses. These approaches will enhance student success in gateway biology and chemistry courses, often the most challenging for students transitioning from high school”
Leaman added that every design decision—from classroom microphones to automatic window shades in labs—was made with students and faculty scientists in mind.
“We’ve worked on this facility for a long time, so it’s fantastic to see it come to fruition,” he said. “We finally get to share this beautiful building with the students who will benefit from it.”
Students quickly praised the new facility. Junior kinesiology major Joseph White was among the first to settle into a lounge space in the building.
“It’s a nice, bright space,” White said, comparing the renovated facility to its former life as an Alabama Department of Public Health building. “AUM has done a lot of work to make it look great. It provides students with new spaces for studying with fewer distractions.”
Graduate student Shannon Warlick, enrolled in the master’s program in biochemistry and molecular biology, echoed this sentiment.
“It’s a super nice facility,” she said. “I’m about to dive into the research phase of my degree program, so the facility’s new lab spaces and technology will be critical for completing my thesis.”
Despite some minor touches still in progress and faculty needing assistance settling into new offices, AUM Director of Facilities and Planning Ben Barlow described the opening day as a success.
“It’s gone smoothly, and it seems like everyone is enjoying the building,” Barlow said. “Warhawk transportation is running efficiently, and our facility crews will continue assisting faculty and making minor adjustments over the coming days.”
