Puget Sound's New Science Center

Welcome to the University of Puget Sound Science Center. Designed to accommodate classes in a state-of-the-art research and learning environment, the Science Center combines Harned Hall, a newly built 51,000-square-foot interactive laboratory space, with the university’s current science building, Thompson Hall.

The second phase of construction, begun in May 2006, involves the reconfiguration of Thompson Hall’s internal landscape to create new classrooms, resource centers, and study spaces that will meet the needs of faculty and students immersed in scientific pursuit for years to come.

Why build a new Science Center now?
Increasing enrollment in science courses, changes in the way faculty and students engage in the study of science, and the evolution of scientific understanding necessitate critical and far-reaching expansion of Puget Sound's current science facilities. In 2005 Puget Sound broke ground for Harned Hall, a building that fuses fluid space and innovative design to encourage collaboration across the science disciplines. Construction of the new building will be completed in time for its opening in fall 2006. The creation of modern laboratory spaces and smaller classrooms will make the new Science Center a facility that accommodates the growing integration of the sciences in inviting and intimate spaces.

As one of only 17 national liberal arts colleges west of the Mississippi—and one of only two in Washington state—Puget Sound plays a vital role in higher education nationally and in our region. Undergraduate science education thrives here, where independent research and inquiry-based labs are available to every student, not just upper-level students or science majors. Puget Sound graduates go on to the country's strongest graduate programs, enrich the labor market, and are accepted into medical school at a rate significantly higher than the national average. The Science Center at Puget Sound is critical to the continued success of the students we serve.