威斯曼大厅 of Science & 工程
The recently expanded and renovated 威斯曼大厅 of Science & 工程 provides Benedictine College students with the best STEM building of any small college in America. From the high-tech, state-of-the-art auditorium to the laboratories and classrooms, 100年,000 square foot facility is home to 天文学, 生物学, 生物化学, 化学, 计算机科学, 数学, 物理, 和化学, 民事, Electrical and Mechanical 工程.
At the time of its dedication, Benedictine College President Stephen D. 该组织说, "This building allows us to capture the vision of being THE Catholic liberal arts college that educates future doctors, 工程师, scientists and health care professionals for the 21st century."
"At Benedictine College, 我们相信信仰, morality and ethics are just as important in the sciences as in every other part of our lives,他说. "They cannot be separated. That is why it is so important to train future doctors, 工程师 and scientists at a place like Benedictine College that understands the essential role of faith, morality and ethics in the sciences."
一楼 of 威斯曼大厅 houses classrooms, 实验室, and faculty offices for the School of 工程 and the Department of 数学 and 计算机科学—along with the Murphy McPhee Auditorium, the Boeshert Greenhouse, and a 3-D Printer Lab.
二楼 houses the Department of 生物学, which won the Heuer Award for best undergraduate biology program in the country. The excellent education at Benedictine College and the state-of-the-art facilities have allowed the college to partner with NASA on experiments relating to weightlessness on the International Space Station and be a part of a major national study of wind turbines and their impact on local habitats.
三楼 houses the Department of 物理 & 天文学. In addition to the classrooms and 实验室 within the building, the expansion included the construction of the Daglen Observatory on a ridge west of campus. Benedictine College is the only Catholic liberal arts college with an 天文学 major.
四楼 of 威斯曼大厅 houses the Department of 化学 & 生物化学. Research being conducted on this floor includes the development of new antibiotics to fight drug-resistant super-bugs, testing for environmental arsenic with luminescence spectroscopy, and the development of molecular sensors for detecting hazardous airborne rocket fuel components.
Several well-known and distinguished alumni have studied in the building, which was originally built in 1964. Notable science alumni include:
- Wangari Maathai, Class of 1964, a Biologist and the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize winner;
- Dr. Harry Eggleston, M.D., F.A.C.S., ’63, who holds four patents for the development of an adjustable/upgradeable intraocular lens;
- Dr. 迈克尔·默里，M.D.,’71, dean-emeritus of the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine;
- Dr. Joseph Petelin, ’73, a surgeon and pioneer in the field of laparoscopic surgery; and
- Dr. Christoph Kandziora, M.D., ’82, a specialist for radiology and nuclear medicine in Germany.
Benedictine’s history of excellence in the sciences continues today. The 生物学 Department received a grant from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as well as a major grant from the Kansas Department of Agriculture. 工程 has earned grants from the Keck Foundation and the National Science Foundation. These grants and others like them allow students to participate in nationally significant research as undergraduates. In addition, an agreement with a local corporation, MGP Ingredients, Inc., provides internship opportunities for biology and chemistry majors.
