On Friday, September 5 at 3:30 p.m. Schoolcraft College will host a special Ribbon Cutting ceremony signifying the official opening of the college’s new Biomedical Technology Center. The ceremony will take place during an open house and opportunity for guests to tour the facility from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.

The Biomedical Technology Center sits between the college’s existing Applied Sciences building and the Forum, which also house several science and technology-focused programs, creating a ‘Science and Technology Neighborhood’ on the college’s main campus in Livonia. STEM and GRIN are the focus of the Biomedical Technology Center at Schoolcraft College. Science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and genetics, robotics, information systems and nanotechnology (GRIN) represent not only fields of study housed in the BTC, but also represent what many believe is the new direction for our state’s economy.

Demand is and will continue to be high for workers who have developed the skills and competencies to deal with the rapid pace at which technology is advancing nearly every sector of the workforce. The state-of-the-art equipment and resources Schoolcraft students have at their disposal in the BTC ensures they will leave the college with the knowledge and skills required to succeed in the workplace or in the pursuit of higher education.

The BTC is home to four specialized labs that will provide students and area businesses with a high-tech learning environment in a number of emerging fields.

The Imaging and Analysis Lab houses a Scanning Electron Microscope, one of the most important tools responsible for the explosive development of nanotechnology and DNA forensics in recent years. Students in nearly every discipline, from art to biology to metallurgy and welding, will benefit from the resources of the Imaging and Analysis Lab.

The Anatomy and Physiology Lab features a specialized cadaver room, with two plastinated cadavers, and an observation window that provide students the unique opportunity to observe experiments and procedures in real-time.

In the new Biomedical Engineering Technology Lab students are trained to maintain and service the wide variety of medical equipment used in hospitals and labs.

The Cellular and Molecular Biology Lab features a vast array of equipment that students in life sciences courses use on a regular basis to examine the most minute components of the world around us.

In addition, this building is home to the college’s growing nursing program, the Open Entry/Open Exit program’s computer lab and the mathematics department. Mathematics is a fundamental and necessary skill set required in this era of rapidly advancing technology. Because nearly every math course will now be taken in this building by our students, all of them will have the opportunity to experience firsthand its tremendous resources and possibilities.

The Learning Theatre, located in the center of the building, features three large, high-definition projection screens and audience space for 90 people, allowing for large multi-class presentations and community gatherings. With the digital media system the building boasts, experiments being conducted in one area of the building can be observed in the Learning Theatre and other areas simultaneously, further enhancing learning opportunities for students and area corporations in all science, technology and health-related disciplines.

Collaboration and teamwork amongst disciplines, faculty and students, are hallmarks of the BTC and are paramount in the innovative design of the facility. In addition to the specialty labs and the Learning Theatre, a variety of flexible learning environments provide students and instructors with options. Large classrooms with flexible seating accommodate team-learning and research-based projects, flex rooms located in classroom hubs allow for groups to congregate, and smaller study areas provide for quieter study for individuals or small groups.

The BTC was designed with the environment in mind. Some of its ‘green’ features include sensor-activated ventilation and lighting systems; high efficiency insulation and sun shades that cool the building’s exterior, reducing the load on the air conditioning system; windows along walls and the ceilings that flood the building with natural light and ceiling panels, made with recycled material and painted orange to better reflect natural light, reducing the need for artificial lighting; cork flooring in the Learning Theatre, which is stripped from the bark of the cork tree and is a renewable resourse; and the concrete masonry units that make up most of the interior walls are made from 70% recycled content and are manufactured and quarried locally, reducing emissions and fuel consumption during the manufacturing process.

Several rain gardens, planted with vegetation indigenous to Michigan, are watered by rainchains that use runoff water from the roof in another effort to save energy and resources. Outdoor decks, adjacent to the rain gardens, are made with recycled materials and will allow students and teachers to bring schoolwork outside.

The Biomedical Technology Center serves as a symbol of the future--the future of education at Schoolcraft College and the future economy of our region. What students will learn in this facility will give them the skills and knowledge they will need for the types of careers they will find in the growing science- and technology-based industries that are becoming the hallmark of emerging businesses in southeast Michigan.