Samo construction to include 15 modernized science labs

When science teachers relocate to the new Science and Technology building this spring, they will be greeted by state of the art science labs.In an effort to modernize and improve school facilities across the district, Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD) voters passed Measure BB in 2006, a $268 million bond that promised new facilities and increases in student safety. According to SMMUSD, a portion of that fund will now be used to equip Samo’s new Science and Technology building with 15 state of the art science labs.According to the district’s Facility Improvement Project (FIP) office, the science labs will feature enlarged whiteboards, which will cover a single wall of a lab and double as shelving space, as well as eye wash stations, fume hoods, energy efficient lighting, sustainable counter tops and glassware washing stations.“I think the new science labs will open up a number of new opportunities for our classes,” Science Department Chair Sarah Lipetz said. “For example, I think having more fume hoods available allows us to work with chemical reactions that I wouldn’t have felt comfortable doing in the past. Students would then be able to better understand the nature of chemicals and the reactions they carry out.”In addition to providing modern scientific supplies, the new science labs will be furnished with cutting edge technology to promote research and allow students to enrich their critical thinking skills, according to the FIP.“Each new science lab will receive new student and teacher laptops,” the FIP said in a press release. “The access to the laptops can be utilized during real-time experiments to collect and analyze data during lessons.”Principal Eva Mayoral believes the new science labs are not only important because they allow students to become more proficient with technology, but also because they nurture students’ passions for learning and achievement.“We don’t want science to be a spectator sport, but something students are involved in,” Mayoral said.  “We want to make science real for kids. It’s one thing to read about science — it’s another to actually do science.”jstaraci@thesamohi.com