Padrón Campus Unveils New Science Labs And A Renovated Student Services Area

New science labs and a renovated student services area were unveiled at a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Eduardo J. Padrón Campus on March 30. 

The spaces, located in the 1000 building, were created to offer a more cohesive layout to the areas.     

 “Both facilities will enhance the student experience,” said Robert Troy, who serves as the dean of students at Padrón Campus. 

Student Services Department

The new student services area on the first floor was designed with a focus on student needs. The reception area, financial aid, information center and bursar’s office are in the center of the room. 

As students move farther away, other resources—like the examinations room, Single Stop and the food pantry—are available to them. The idea is to allow students more privacy when utilizing those resources. 

“[It was] founded on the principle that the students in the center [have] all services right at [their] fingertips,” Troy said.

One of the main reasons for the change was to minimize the need for students to move from office to office to solve their issues. For example, students who wanted to go from admissions to advising prior to the renovation had to go around the building, down the stairs and into a hallway to reach the office. 

All the previous walls and hallways were removed to create a new space with interconnected offices. New perks include an expanded testing area and a noise reduction roof to prevent the area from getting too loud when a lot of people are buzzing around the space.

The new design also adds a splash of color to the area. Previously, the space had mostly industrial-type color schemes utilizing gray and white tones. Now, every area has its own color scheme. For example, the main area is blue to match the color of the new building 6 facade and has a ceiling that looks like ocean waves. And all the furniture and equipment is new.

“This space will give students a wonderful, functional space to get the support they need to help them attend classes at the College,” Troy said. 

Science Labs

Five new science laboratories were created on the third floor of the 1000 building for students to participate in experiments and research projects in areas designed for collaborative work. 

The new state-of-the art labs have stations throughout the space that allow students to pair up in groups in a more private area.

 “Our goal is to expose our students to the things they are going to be using moving forward in their academic and professional career,” said Alfredo Leon, interim dean of faculty at the Padrón Campus. “They are seeing equipment that they have seen when they did rotations or internships and now they are seeing it here [at MDC].” 

This is the first time the Padrón Campus science labs have been augmented since the 1980s. They only had one chemistry lab and one physics lab before, which they used to teach about five different science courses. 

Three of the labs will be used for chemistry. One of the rooms will have a space for organic chemistry, allowing the College to offer organic chemistry 1 and organic chemistry 2 courses for students in the health sciences. They will be used to teach the other science classes that are required for students in health-related fields. 

The other two labs will have a focus on physics. They can only be used by students during class time. 

Liliam Rojas, an international relations student at MDC, showed off the new space to administrators during the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Even though she is graduating this year, she is excited for students who will utilize the space.

“The lab space now includes a small study area that I think the students will love and use when waiting for their classes to start while finishing some homework or doing some last-minute studying,” Rojas said.