A next-generation hub for the sciences: Skidmore’s Center for Integrated Sciences

Even as the COVID-19 pandemic has caused disruption on campus and across the globe, Skidmore College is moving forward with major initiatives for the College’s future.

The Center for Integrated Sciences embodies Skidmore’s vision for the future of the liberal arts and the College, fostering interdisciplinary connections between and among the sciences, arts, humanities and social sciences.

As the number of science majors at Skidmore has doubled over the past decade, the project also reflects the conviction that scientific literacy is essential and will drive the careers of the future.

The 58,000-square-foot North Wing will fully house the Department of Computer Science and the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, as well as sections of the Biology and Chemistry departments. It features 58 laboratories and classrooms, 21 faculty and staff offices, an animal vivarium and other facilities, including field methods space used by the departments of Environmental Studies and Sciences, Biology and Geosciences.

The new facility will also bring together resources currently spread across campus, like the Skidmore Microscopy Imaging Center, whose collection of microscopes rivals those of larger research institutions.

“CIS is a game changer because all of the sciences will be housed under one roof, allowing our faculty, students and staff to collaborate in new ways,” says Patricia Fehling, associate dean of the faculty and professor of health and human physiological sciences.

The building also reflects Skidmore’s commitment to sustainability. Housed in the North Wing is a new underground geothermal system that will heat and cool all 200,000 square feet of the CIS. The building will be the first in Skidmore’s history to be LEED-certified.

Before North Wing construction was interrupted this spring, the project had been proceeding ahead of schedule, and the College aims to have it ready for the fall semester. When the subsequent two phases are completed — a 2024 target still in place — the CIS will house all of Skidmore’s 10 science departments and programs and more than 90 science faculty members as well as a large makerspace where students and faculty can explore creative solutions to important issues.