Surface 678 provided advanced planning for the project’s ambitious mission to expand the scope of research and teaching in the sciences requires a new type of science building to enable the sharing of ideas (intellectual “collisions”) across disciplines that can inspire new convergent research projects. With a goal of speeding the process of discovery to impact, the new Institute for Convergent Science will include resources and specialized laboratories to facilitate the creation of interdisciplinary teams focused on a specific research challenge and will assist them as they work toward practical ways to bring this research to market. The building also includes the most convergent parts of the Applied Physical Science and Neuroscience departments, convening spaces, collaboration spaces, active classrooms, and core research facilities that include a clean room and vivarium.
The site for the Convergent Science Center at the corner of South Road and South Columbia is a perfect fit for the ambitions of this program. Located at the intersection between the Health Sciences Corridor and the historic North District of campus, it is at the epicenter of the sciences. The building offers an incredible opportunity to strengthen connections between the academic campus and the health sciences across South Road. Pedagogically, this relationship is crucially important to the mission of the Institute for Convergent Science.
