Saint John Paul II Center for Science Innovation Opens January 12
Walsh University officially unveiled its newest building, the Saint John Paul II Center for Science Innovation, with the start of the spring 2015 semester.
Canton Repository: Walsh Opens New St. John Paul II Center for Science Innovation
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The new building will serve as the home for Walsh’s expanded science and health care programs in a beautifully designed facility. Annexed to Walsh’s Timken Natural Sciences Center, the two-story building was designed for students to easily navigate between the existing facility and the new state-of-the-art laboratories.
The Saint John Paul II Center for Science Innovation features multiple learning and research labs, including exercise science, human anatomy, advanced chemistry, occupational therapy and physics. Each lab is equipped with the latest in technology, including two Anatomage virtual dissection tables that display 3D images of human anatomy with stunning detail in a multitude of layers, views and perspectives.
The new science center opened for classes on January 12 and has been named in honor of Pope John Paul II who was canonized as Saint John Paul the Great on April 27, 2014.
"It is significant that John Paul II’s name should be permanently linked to Walsh as a testament to our Catholic heritage and mission to develop leaders in service to others," said Walsh President Richard Jusseaume. "The Saint John Paul II Center for Science Innovation honors the legacy of a Pope who openly valued the role of youth in the church, a Catholic identity in higher education, and the relationships between Faith and Reason, Science and Religion, and Philosophy and Theology, as confirmed in his Encyclical Letter Fides et Ratio."
With a 255 percent increase in the number of students majoring in the sciences at Walsh since 2005, construction was expedited to meet a critical need for additional space after breaking ground in spring of 2014.
That number is expected to grow as Walsh continues to develop new programs, such as the five new majors and a new minor introduced in the last two years, in addition to the number of students enrolled in Walsh’s undergraduate Nursing program, Doctor of Physical Therapy program, and Doctorate and Master’s programs in Nursing. Majors such as Walsh’s new Occupational Therapy (one of only six in Ohio) also required new lab facilities that did not exist on campus. In addition, a redesigned chemistry curriculum focused on innovative teaching practices led to Walsh’s first National Science Foundation Grant (NSF) for $600,000 to fund scholarships for students interested in pursuing a degree in chemistry.
President Jusseaume added, "Whether in the science or health care industries, it is our hope that Saint John Paul’s name on this building, and his example in life, will serve as a reminder for all students to respect the dignity and sanctity of each life they encounter throughout their respective careers."
The Saint John Paul II Center for Science Innovation will support students in the following programs: