Daniel Goldin, administrator of NASA, will deliver the keynote address Sept. 27 at DePaul University’s dedication ceremony for its new $12 million William G. McGowan Biological and Environmental Sciences Center at 2335 N. Clifton Ave.

The 3 p.m. dedication is part of the university’s yearlong centennial celebration.

Goldin became the ninth administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in 1992. He quickly gained a reputation as an agent of change in bringing reform and revitalization to America’s space agency. Even as the agency budget has decreased, Goldin has made NASA programs more productive and more balanced than before. Today, NASA is launching interplanetary probes at the rate of one every 10 weeks. Earth-based satellites and better weather models are helping predict phenomena like El Niño, and the United States is leading the largest, most complex international scientific and technological project ever undertaken: the International Space Station. The one-hour ceremony includes remarks by the Rev. John P. Minogue, C.M., president of DePaul, a traditional ribbon cutting ceremony and a blessing of the building by Msgr. Joseph McGowan, brother of William G. McGowan, the late founder of MCI Communications and the building namesake. Sue Ling Gin, DePaul trustee and widow of McGowan, will cut the ceremonial ribbon at the building entranceway. Gin is chair of the fundraising campaign for the new facility.

"The McGowan Sciences Center means that at long last the quality of our science facilities will match the high quality of our faculty and students," said Michael L. Mezey, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. "The building will enable us to bring an excellent education in the sciences to a larger number of students."

The facility encompasses more than 60,000 square feet and provides DePaul with modern, well-equipped science laboratories that, according to Thomas J. Murphy, director of environmental sciences, are comfortable and conducive to learning.

There are seven teaching laboratories for students majoring in the biological and environmental sciences and for courses designed for non-science majors. Individual laboratories are designed for specific areas of study, such as genetics, immunology, anatomy and cell biology, and can include computers, microscope video monitors, projectors, hoods for volatile materials, and gas, air and vacuum systems at each station.

Each of the full-time biology faculty members has a private research suite complete with laboratory, prep room and adjoining office. The environmental sciences faculty share two large research laboratories. According to Leigh A. Maginniss, chair of the biological sciences department, faculty laboratories allow scientists to continue research in a number of areas including aquatic and molecular biology, cellular motility, comparative physiology, insect neurobiology and plant physiology.

The modern, two-story building also includes specialty labs, two instrument rooms for larger shared equipment, two rooftop greenhouses, a student lounge, a student computer lab, a darkroom, a meeting room and offices for department staff and lab managers.

The building design was a collaborative effort between the architectural firms of Antunovich Associates of Chicago and Earl Walls Associates of San Diego. Antunovich, which is the lead firm, is responsible for the spatial design of the building, while Earl Walls designed the laboratories. "They are the most experienced laboratory designers in the country," Murphy said. Building features include glass rather than metal drains in sinks to prevent chemical corrosion, a de-ionized water system plumbed through plastic pipes, a house vacuum system, and a ventilation system that provides 100 percent fresh air every 15 minutes.

Numerous private gifts by alumni and friends of DePaul contributed to the success of the capital campaign. The McGowan Charitable Fund, based in Washington, D.C., contributed a significant naming gift, and the Kresge Foundation, a private organization in Troy, Mich., provided a major contribution. The center was funded in part by a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The McGowan Biological and Environmental Sciences Center dedication will be immediately followed by a reception. Both events are free and open to the public.