WORK UNDERWAY ON NEW BLINN SCIENCE BUILDING

  

Work has begun on a nearly year-and-a-half construction project on the Blinn Brenham campus.

Officials say the new science, technology, engineering, and innovation building now under construction will offer students and visitors a vision of new discoveries and a brighter tomorrow.

The 17-month construction process is scheduled to be completed for the Fall 2021 semester.

Blinn Chancellor, Dr. Mary Hensley says, “From computer technology and cybersecurity to engineering and healthcare, Blinn’s faculty will use this facility to train students in the careers that will define our future.”

Hensley says, “With the construction of this new building, the students who come to Blinn in the years to come will be welcomed to a space where they can not only discover new ideas, but transform those ideas into action.”

The 72,000 square foot building will feature 17,000 square feet of laboratory space and a 3,000-square-foot innovation lab that will include a 3D printing lab, soldering space, robotics area, and a space where students can work with interrelated computing devices.

The innovation lab also will include a virtual reality space and a high-tech fabrication shop where students can use laser cutters to make precisely fitted materials.

The new facility also will include anatomy and physiology, biology, chemistry, computer science, engineering, geology, information technology, microbiology, nursing, organic chemistry, and physics labs. On the roof, students will have access to a weather station where they can monitor and gauge local weather.

While COVID-19 means that Blinn and community colleges across the state are budgeting for significant enrollment declines in Fall 2020, Blinn’s long-range vision for the Brenham Campus remains the same.