Pioneering the future: A new sciences building

The Department of Physics & Astronomy

is poised for change, which requires vision, focus, and the willingness to move forward. These are the qualities of pioneers, and we invite you to join our team of pioneers as we blaze a new trail into the future.

We’re excited to announce that the department will be moving to a new building on the University of Utah campus in 2024. The as-yet-unnamed building will include a renovation of and addition to the historic William Stewart Building and will become the new home of the Department of Physics & Astronomy, Department of Atmospheric Sciences, and related research labs.

We’re grateful for the support of Utah lawmakers, who approved funds for the new building. The new facility will provide both departments with state-of-the-art experimental and computing labs, updated classroom/ lecture hall space, enhanced demonstration and community engagement capacity, and office space for the faculty, staff, and students.

In the 2021 state of Utah Legislative session, representatives approved a $60 million budget

South elevation of the proposed new building

History of the Stewart Building

In 1915, the Utah State Legislature began setting aside funds for the construction of a teacher training building at the University of Utah, which was to house the Normal School (later the Education Department). During World War I, the university was designated as a training camp for the Student Army Training Corps (SATC). This designation, made in 1918, meant that the university was obligated to house and feed a military unit of approximately 1,250 men. The local architectural firm of Young & Hansen designed what would become the Stewart Building for that initial purpose—but with the intent of later converting it to the Normal School. This building housed the Stewart Training School from 1919 until 1966. It was officially named the William M. Stewart Building in 1968.

appropriation towards a landmark building project to house applied sciences. This was the largest amount of funds ever given to a university building project. The total budget is estimated to be $84.5 million, with the remaining funds coming from the university and its donors. Currently, we already have $11 million in private donor commitments. In 2022, the College of Science, the College of Mines & Earth Sciences, and the departments of Physics & Astronomy and Atmospheric Sciences will be launching a public campaign to raise the remaining $13.5 million for this important project.

Departments and programs in demand

The two departments are an essential part of the university’s overall STEM efforts. Together, they teach more than 5,600 students and house 57 faculty members. New construction—a 40,700 square-foot renovation and 100,000 square-foot addition—is expected to result in a substantial increase in capacity for experimental and computer labs. These new spaces will allow the departments to address critical bottlenecks in science and technology degree programs.

The courses the departments offer are requisites for 37 degrees and nine pre-professional programs across campus, including all engineering, computer science, and pre-medical programs. As a result, the building will be a focal point in the university’s STEM degree pipeline (which produced 49% of the STEM degrees awarded by institutions in the Utah System of Higher Education).

Why a new building is needed

The current programs for the Department of Physics & Astronomy and the Department of Atmospheric Sciences occupy space in five locations on campus: the South Physics Building (PHYS); the James Fletcher Building (JFB); the Intermountain Network Scientific Computation Center (INSCC); and the Center for Cell and Genome Science in the Crocker Science Center (CSC). The Department of Atmospheric Sciences is located in the Frederick Albert Sutton Building (FASB).

West elevation of the proposed new building

Key Facts (2021)

• Faculty: 46 • Undergraduate majors: 187 • Graduate students: 83 • Students taught: 4,499

• Faculty: 11 • Undergraduate majors: 32 • Graduate students: 34 • Students taught: 564

• Instruction and research space: 91% • Faculty and staff offices: 9% • Remodeled space: 40,729 square feet • New space: 100,000 square feet • Modern experiential teaching space • Reduced bottlenecks in high-demand courses

Project schedule

• Summer 2022: Renovation of

Stewart Building • Spring 2023: Begin new construction • Fall 2024: Project completion

Current undergraduate lab training is limited by our facilities. Undergraduate training in physics requires classroom laboratory work, which the university is currently unable to offer all students due to a lack of student laboratory facilities. Research lab placement opportunities are also limited by our current facilities.

Additionally, the Department of Physics & Astronomy is active in providing community outreach programs in the state, despite limitations in classroom and demonstration capacity. New facilities will enhance the quality, safety, and reach of these efforts.

The South Physics Building and the Fletcher Building house the majority of the Physical Science programs. These buildings are inadequate for modern research and require ongoing and increased operational and maintenance costs, which will continue to escalate. The South Physics Building will likely be used for administrative offices, while portions of the Fletcher Building will likely be demolished.

The Science Yard

The Stewart Building (and its related future additions) are within the “Science Yard,” an existing pedestrian corridor extending from Pioneer Memorial Theatre to the Marriott Library. The Crocker Science Center (completed in 2018), along with the renovation and expansion of the Stewart Building, may potentially extend the Science Yard to Presidents Circle.

The Science Yard is intended to be a core gathering space in the heart of the west campus that can be used to facilitate connection and interdisciplinary collaboration between the sciences. It can be used as a space for outdoor classes and informal gatherings, serving as a simple open space that connects the academic buildings that frame its edges. Serving students from diverse backgrounds is a key component of the University of Utah mission and a critical, increasingly important objective of the university over the last decade. Our current facilities can’t fully address the needs of students. The new building will be designed from the ground up, with a diverse population in mind. Student collaboration/interaction spaces will meet new programming needs, and enhanced spaces will provide students with spaces where they can meet with advisors, campus-wide peer groups, and program directors to support their success.

Beyond student success, the new facilities will contribute tremendously to discovery and encourage more cuttingedge experiments that aren’t possible within our current facilities. A modern building will keep the U’s sciencebased programs in a leading position and enhance the capacity for discoveries in growing areas, including new and exciting interdisciplinary fields connected to important Utah tech industries.

Attracting top talent

A new centralized, state-of-the-art facility will attract and retain top talent, engage in pioneering research, foster collaborations, and continue to educate and train new, highly skilled members of the Utah workforce for decades to come.

We need your support

We welcome and need your support. The legislature has provided critical funding, but we must raise an additional $13.5 million to make the new building a reality. There are a number of ways our alumni can help us achieve this goal, and many opportunities for involvement, including naming opportunities for the new building. If you’d like to contribute and learn more about different donor opportunities, please contact Jeff Martin, Executive Director for Institutional Advancement, at 801-581-4852 or email him at martin@science.utah.edu.