For Immediate Release
October 21, 2014

William J. Lindsay Life Sciences Building Dedicated at Suffolk County Community College’s Ammerman Campus

SELDEN, N.Y., October 21, 2014 - A new life sciences building at Suffolk County Community College’s Ammerman Campus in Selden will feature state-of-the-art educational technology and provide a platform for increased student research through hands-on education and active learning, said college officials who took part in a gala ribbon cutting with students, state and local officials, faculty, staff and administration to dedicate the building today.

 

The $29.8 million, soon-to- be Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) certified, William J. Lindsay Life Sciences Building occupies nearly 63,000 square feet and is the Ammerman campus’ first newly constructed academic building in nearly 50 years. Officials said approximately 5,000 students will attend classes in the building throughout the spring semester beginning in January 2015. The building will also allow for the expansion of science classes to include an additional 100 students in the spring and 300 students next fall.

 

The building is named for and dedicated to the memory of former Suffolk County Legislator and presiding Officer

 

William J. Lindsay  who served for 12 years in the legislature — eight as presiding officer —  where his colleagues referred to him as the “Lion of the Legislature.” Lindsay, 67, passed away in September, 2013 after a valiant battle with lung cancer.

 

"We were very humbled and honored when we first heard the Life Sciences building was going to be named after our late father. My Dad was a great supporter of the college as well as higher education and we couldn't think of a more appropriate legacy to bear his name. Our only regret is that he is not here today to accept this honor in person.  We hope that every student that passes through these doors will use the knowledge they gain here to make this world a better place," said William J. Lindsay’s son and Suffolk County Legislator Bill Lindsay on behalf of his family.

 

“This is an exciting day for Suffolk County Community College and for SUNY as we add a significant building to our growing ranks of cutting edge facilities” said SUNY Board of Trustees Chairman H. Carl McCall. “The William J. Lindsay Life Sciences Building will not only be a magnet for students where they are able to learn in a nurturing environment, it will also serve as a launching point for a new generation of discoverers, future scientists and engineers. I want to commend the leadership of President Shaun McKay and offer sincere congratulations to the students, faculty, staff and administration at Suffolk County Community College, and its namesake, a true beacon in the community, William J. Lindsay.”

 

“The William J. Lindsay Life Sciences Building demonstrates our institutional commitment to invest in students and provide what is needed for a state-of-the-art education,” said Suffolk County Community College President Dr. Shaun L. McKay. “I thank our local and state representatives who supported this project and have provided our students with new tools and new opportunity,” McKay said. “And I thank our former Presiding Officer and Legislator William Lindsay, with us in spirit today, for his unwavering support of higher education and our college.”

 

“William Lindsay was an outstanding and dedicated public servant who devoted his career in elected office to fighting for those who could not fight for themselves,” said Congressman Tim Bishop.  “It is quite fitting that a building at Suffolk County Community College, an institution he held in such high regard, will forever bear his name.”

 

“I cannot imagine a better way to honor Bill Lindsay than a building to give Suffolk County students the skills they need to get good jobs and grow our economy,” Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone said.  “This new building is a part of our Connect Long Island vision of connecting and enhancing Suffolk County’s world-class science and research hubs to create jobs and retain our brightest minds.”

 

“I am honored to be here today to cut the ribbon on the William J. Lindsay Life Sciences Building,” said Suffolk County Legislature Presiding Officer DuWayne Gregory. “Bill was a good friend and true mentor to me during the many years we worked together in the Legislature. I am sure he is very proud today to have this building named after him because he was always a huge supporter of Suffolk County Community College.”

 

“Bill was a tireless advocate for the wellbeing of all Suffolk County’s residents, a staunch supporter of the Community College, a true believer in the independence of the Suffolk county Legislature.  This Science center will serve as a fitting tribute to his powerful legacy,” said Suffolk County Legislator and Minority Leader John M. Kennedy Jr.

 

“I have long held the belief that science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) are the foundation for future economic growth and job creation.  The building is suitably named after a great supporter of education, William Lindsay, and will be a tremendous learning hub for students,” said New York State Senator Kenneth P. LaValle, chair of the State Senate’s Higher Education Committee.

 

“I think it is only fitting to name the new Life Sciences Building after former Presiding Officer Bill Lindsay.  Bill was an individual that worked tirelessly for his community and for our County,” said New York State Assemblyman Alfred C. Graf.

 

“Suffolk County Community College has continually served as a valuable resource for many of our young residents and this new facility will allow many more to reach their goals.  This building will stand as a tribute to Presiding Officer Lindsay’s dedication to our county and his support of the young Long Islanders who are working to achieve their dreams.  I can think of no better way to honor the service and commitment of Bill Lindsay,” stated New York State Senator John Flanagan.

 

"The William J. Lindsay Life Sciences Building will strengthen the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) program at Suffolk Community College, further preparing students for a successful career in many different career paths. Today is a great day for the Suffolk Community College family," said New York State Senator Lee Zeldin.

 

"Today marks a special day for Suffolk County as we cut the ribbon on the first new building on Suffolk County Community College's Ammerman Campus in nearly 50 years.  The William J. Lindsay Life Sciences Building, named in honor of a good friend and great advocate for the college, will offer state-of-the-art science laboratories and computer classrooms to help prepare students for the challenging careers of the future with a solid foundation in the sciences, technology, engineering, and math," said New York State Assemblyman Steve Englebright.

 

New York State Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele, Jr. stated, “Today we celebrate new beginnings for expanded science and technology programs at Suffolk County Community College, and also honor former Presiding Officer of the Suffolk County Legislature, William Lindsay, as his legacy will live on through the new William J. Lindsay Life Sciences Building on the Ammerman Campus. I am proud that New York State joined Suffolk County in providing for new state-of-the-art and expanded opportunities for our students.”

 

"Bill Lindsay was a good friend and a true leader among those that he served with on the County Legislature," said Town of Brookhaven Supervisor Ed Romaine. "The dedication of the Life Sciences building in his memory is a fitting tribute to a person who was steadfast in his support of the college and committed to improving our higher education system. As a former teacher and County Legislator myself, I am proud to be part of this special day in honor of a man that I respected and admired." 

 

“These are very exciting times in Biology and Life Sciences education worldwide.  The spatial design and state-of-the art technology incorporated into our new building gives us a doorway through which our outstanding faculty will lead our students into a new age.  This innovative edifice will allow us to increase the number of students taught and, along with our newly revised and cutting-edge curriculum, gives us the ability to greatly enhance the quality of education Suffolk County Community College provides.  It is a superior facility for student research and both collaborative and hands-on learning.  It will bring our department into the 21st century and prepare our students for the 22^nd,” said Rosa M. Gambier, Ph.D., Biology Department Chair.

 

“Our new life sciences building projects our commitment to students and potential students about the quality of learning at Suffolk County Community College,” explained Dafny J. Irizarry, Chair of the Suffolk County Community College Board of Trustees. “The William J. Lindsay Life Sciences Building, fittingly named after a great supporter of the college, will strengthen Suffolk County Community College and its place among top ranked institutions of higher education in New York State,” she said.

 

BBS Architects, Landscape Architects and Engineers served as architect; interior designer; and civil, mechanical, and electrical engineer for the new building.  According to BBS Principal Architect Roger P. Smith, AIA, LEED AP, “The structure is designed to serve as a learning tool itself.  It incorporates pioneering sustainability and educational features, such as interactive boards displaying – in real time – the building’s sustainability data and power performance.  It is a very cool feature; you can literally walk around and watch the building work.”

 

A time capsule will be placed in the building’s cornerstone containing items from the Lindsay family as well as from the college, including a flash drive with photos and videos about the college, brochures, photos and a smartphone.

 

STEM at Suffolk
Suffolk County Community College’s STEM program has been incorporating research opportunities into its curriculum and has been one of the strongest suppliers of interns to Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) for more than a decade. The College also produces the highest number of participants in BNL research programs with the exception of neighboring Stony Brook University.

 

More than 54 Suffolk STEM scholars have been awarded paid research internships at Department of Energy (DOE) laboratories ranging from Brookhaven National Laboratory to Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee to Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico.

 

Suffolk County Community College 2014 graduate Cassandra Nyati was a National Science Foundation – Scholarships for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (NSF S-STEM) Scholarship recipient as well as a Collegiate Science Technology Entry Program scholar who was invited last spring to the National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR) in Lexington, Kentucky where she presented her research internship results to students, faculty and staff from around the world.

 

Cassandra’s research, "Internalization and Colocalization in Raft-Mediated Endocytosis," was selected for presentation from more than 4,000 submissions to the NCUR 2014 Abstract Review Committee and was the culmination of Cassandra’s summer 2013 research at Stony Brook University where Cassandra is now a student and continuing her science studies and research.

 

About the William J. Lindsay Life Sciences Building

 

·         The first new academic building on the Ammerman Campus in nearly 50 years

·         62,760 square feet

·         Building cost: $29,850,000 (50 percent county funded, 50 percent state)

·         Anatomy and Physiology Labs

·         Chemistry Laboratories

·         Computer Classrooms

·         Marine Biology Labs

·         General Biology Labs

·         Faculty offices and meeting rooms

·         Leadership in Energy & Environment Design (LEED) certified

·         A rooftop photovoltaic system that will generate 144 kilowatts of electricity and provide over 60 percent of the building electric needs saving approximately $48,000 per year.

·         Interactive real-time displays show the building’s sustainability data, power and systems’ performance.

·         Atrium video wall is made up of 16, 46 inch LED ultra-narrow bezel monitors set up in a 4 foot by 4 foot grid. It is 13.43 feet wide x 7.6 feet high.

·         The building’s design won the 2011 School Planning & Management magazine’s Sustainability and Innovation Award in the Building as a Teaching Tool category.

Classrooms and Labs by floor

First Floor
Atrium
Anatomy & Physiology, 3 Labs with 24 stations each
Flexible Lecture West  2 Rooms, 48 seats each
Flexible Lecture East 2 Rooms, 72 seats each

The building’s first floor houses the main lobby; elevator shaft; three laboratories with prep rooms, ranging in size from 1,214 to 1,331 square feet; two 1,214-square-foot flexible lecture halls; faculty office; 1,706-square-foot main lobby student gathering space; 221 square feet of corridor niche meeting spaces; and storage and utility rooms. 

 

The lobby is designed as an indoor amphitheater cut into the slope of the building’s site.  Classes can be taught in this space.  The elevator shaft features interactive kiosks on each of the three building levels.

Second Floor
Marine Biology, 2 Labs with 24 stations
Flexible Biology with 24 stations
Microbiology with 24 stations
General Biology, 2 Labs with 24 stations each
Student Computer Room with 24 stations
Student Project Room with 14 work stations
Biology Learning Center with16 work stations

 

The second floor houses general, marine, and microbiology facilities.  These include six labs ranging in size from 1,214 to 1,331 square feet; prep rooms and assistants’ offices; a 630-square-foot faculty office suite and three 80-square-foot faculty offices; a 160-square-foot biology walk-in cold storage room; student gathering niche; and support facilities.

 

Third Floor
Computer Classroom with 24 stations
General classroom with 48 seats
Chemistry Lab 2 with 24 stations

 

The building’s third floor features two 1,214-square-foot chemistry labs; one 1,214-square-foot general classrooms; a 936-square-foot computer room; a 529-square-foot conference room; a 613-square-foot faculty lounge with a 221-square-foot kitchenette; two faculty offices; a reception area for administrative offices; department management offices; student gathering areas; mechanical, electrical and storage rooms.

 

General Building Design

 

The sustainability in site design is visible along the pedestrian paths and features gardens, a contained drainage system and storm-water-collection swales with native, drought-resistant vegetation.  The ecosystem of the site encourages study of nature.

 

The building is arranged with two wings around a central rotunda, which serves as both a transit and a gathering point for students.  Each wing has a single laboratory corridor, which provides clear orientation as well as efficiency and visibility.

 

The south-facing window wall is designed to modulate and harvest natural light.  Seating opportunities in public spaces provide settings for impromptu conversations or short breaks before entering classrooms.

 

The two wing corridors provide direct access to all laboratory and support spaces.  Stairways for egress at the ends of the two wings, and the central open stair, ensure safe and convenient access to all floors.

 

Laboratory spaces are designed using modular planning principles.  Each space is essentially the same size to allow flexibility in layout and lab furniture components.

Fixed functions such as sinks and fume hoods are located at the perimeter.  A mechanical system is sized to provide appropriate air changes for biology labs throughout the several life science disciplines. 

 

Suffolk County Community College
The Ammerman Campus is located on 156 wooded acres in Selden, NY and is the oldest of the College’s three campuses. Approximately 15,000 students are enrolled at the Ammerman Campus. The College’s other campuses are the Eastern Campus in Riverhead, and Michael J. Grant Campus in Brentwood. Suffolk is the largest community college in New York State with more than 26,000 students enrolled.