About
500 people attended the dedication of the $28 million, three-story Science
Building and Planetarium at Texas A&M University-Commerce April 4. (Texas
A&M University-Commerce
photo by Craig Buck)
(Commerce)—The
banner on the front of the Texas A&M University-Commerce
Science Building and Planetarium heralded "Discovering New Frontiers."
Retired Air Force Col. Loren J. Shriver, former astronaut who served as commander
of the 1990 Space Shuttle mission that deployed the Hubble Space Telescope,
said "discovering new frontiers" is what current and future A&M-Commerce
students and faculty in the building will be doing.
Speaking at the April 4 dedication for the facility, Shriver told the crowd
of about 500 that he had the opportunity to tour the $28 million three-story
building before the ceremony. "I can't emphasize how important it is for
this region, for the university, the students and faculty that you have such
a fine up-to-date facility," said the Houston area resident who is vice
president and deputy program manager for the United Space Alliance, a contractor
for the Space Shuttle and International Space Station Programs.
Shriver, who grew up in rural Iowa dreaming of becoming a pilot, said in his
work which supports human space flight that the importance of science and technology
education is "basically a fundamental given."
Emphasizing that American students graduating with degrees in science and technology
have decreased to "dangerously low" numbers, Shriver said that reaching
young people at an early age and motivating them to pursue studies in the sciences
and technology is important in reversing the trend and that facilities like
the new A&M-Commerce Science Building and Planetarium can help.
"The planetarium will appeal to all ages and especially young kids and
get them interested in math and science," said this veteran of three Space
Shuttle flights. "The Science Building is there to back it up with detailed
instruction that will be so key if we are going to be successful in this endeavor
of sending humans out into the solar system on a somewhat permanent basis."
In 2010, the U.S. plans to replace the Shuttle with the Crew Exploration Vehicle,
a servicing vehicle for the International Space Station, that will also be
used by this nation to return to the moon and establish a "more permanent
presence" there than in the 1960s, Shriver said. In the future, plans
will also be made for a manned mission to Mars, he said.
Others speaking at the dedication were Robert Dr. McTeer, chancellor of the
Texas A&M University System; District 2 State Senator Bob Deuell of Greenville;
A&M-Commerce President Keith McFarland; and Brian Rodgers, a Farmersville
senior biology major.
Seeing a project like the A&M-Commerce Science Building and Planetarium
become a reality is gratifying, said McTeer, former president of the Federal
Reserve Bank of Dallas.
As a University of Georgia student in the '60s, he said he took courses in
the "soft sciences and economics and that was hard enough for me."
Pointing out that the building houses the Departments of Biological and Environmental
Sciences, Chemistry, and Physics, McTeer said that someone in his office had
given him a "cheat sheet that said, 'If it wiggles, it's biology. If it
stinks, it's chemistry, and if it doesn't work, it's physics.'" This drew
laughs from the crowd.
On a serious note, the chancellor said, "We in the A&M System are
proud of the good work at all our regional universities and none more than
A&M-Commerce. By good work, what I mean is educating the students. You
can't be around Dr. McFarland long without realizing with him it's all about
the students.
"The building will go far toward consolidating the position of Texas A&M
University-Commerce as the intellectual center of East Texas," McTeer
said.
Deuell said that as a biology graduate of George Mason University he could
appreciate what the building will mean to science majors.
The building can help students compete with students in other nations, he said. "In
this part of the world, we have a Science Building with tools and materials
second to none so people in this area can compete with the rest of the world."
A speaker at the groundbreaking for the building on April 30, 2004, Rodgers
said he would soon graduate and begin studies at Southwestern Medical School
and would spend only a short time as a student in the new facility.
The building is a "large step forward for the university in training science
students," he said.
As a historian, McFarland said he is "well aware of the importance of
and need for change. Individuals, businesses, institutions, and governments
that do not keep up with the times are doomed to failure."
This is why A&M-Commerce made the decision five years ago to construct
the state-of-the-art building, McFarland said.
"The journey has been long, and at times, difficult, but as is evident
today, it has been a successful journey. Now we look forward to another adventure,
one that will lead the students and the faculty down the road of learning and
scientific advancement over the decades ahead," he said.
McFarland thanked numerous people for helping the project become a reality.
Of A&M-Commerce personnel, the president said that no one played a "more
important role and put in more time and energy on the project" than Rick
Kreminski, head of the Department of Mathematics and former assistant dean
of the College of Arts and Sciences. Kreminksi served as a liaison with the
architects and A&M System personnel.
Classes in the building began in the 2006 Spring Semester. Astronomy classes
are taught in the planetarium and during the week student groups attend shows.
At 7 and 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, shows are open to the public. Reservations
to the planetarium shows are encouraged. For reservations and information,
call 903-468-8650.