Vernier Science Center marks first year of providing spaces that foster connections

On a recent Monday, more than 150 new and returning graduate students filled Portland State's Vernier Science Center, mingling over lunch, connecting across different programs and exploring campus resources.

Since opening a year ago, the light-filled, colorful building has become a hub for community, replacing the outdated Science Building 1 with a space designed by students for students.

"It's night and day - literally," said Patti Cabrera-Perez, program coordinator for LSAMP.

As an undergraduate, she dreaded the dim, flickering halls of the old building. Now, her office sits in the LSAMP lounge, a welcoming space where students - especially those from historically underrepresented backgrounds in STEM - can study, rest and connect. The lounge is larger than the program's previous home in Cramer Hall, though Cabrera-Perez is working to recreate the same cozy, lived-in feel that students loved.

The space offers a computer lab, tables for collaboration, a quiet nook with a couch and textbook library, and even a private study room students can reserve for online classes or Zoom meetings. Some days, the lounge is busy with social events and programming. Other days, it's quieter. Cabrera-Perez says late nights remain just as popular as when she was a student.

"I saw many connections last year that were created just out of proximity," she said. "Students coming to the space, running into one another and realizing they have the same classes. … I've had students just pop their heads in to learn about the program."

For many of the students who contributed to the visioning and design of the Vernier Science Center, that sense of comfort and belonging was essential. They wanted the entire building to feel like the safe and supportive space they experienced in LSAMP.

LSAMP shares the second floor with other student support programs and the Indigenous Traditional Ecological & Cultural Knowledge (ITECK) program.

"There's something about being on the second floor that's like, 'We're all here in community for students,'" Cabrera-Perez said.

Kyla Zaret, a wetland ecologist with the Institute for Natural Resources on the third floor, says the difference between the old building and the new one is striking.

She first came to PSU in 2014 as a doctoral student. After enduring a small, windowless backroom her lab had in Cramer Hall, the move to the old Science Building 1 felt like an upgrade. But in many ways, it was isolating.

"It was dark and drab, and you never saw anybody in the halls," she said. "At some point, I bought myself a microscope to bring home so I didn't have to be down there."

Now, she enjoys heading downtown and being in the midst of campus life - something that was missing when INR was in the Science and Education Center on the edge of campus. Natural light fills her shared office. Students stream in and out of the classroom across the hall. Staff and faculty bond over puzzles in the break room.

Zaret says she also appreciates the intentionality behind the building's design.

"Things feel ripe for collaboration," she said. "It's created the opportunity to run into people."

She first connected with the ITECK program through its quarterly Tea Times - gatherings organized over the past few years to share their work and foster connections across campus. Now, sharing a building with ITECK has deepened those ties and led to new opportunities, including involving students in wetlands fieldwork over the summer.

"All of that has come from knowing more about that program since we're in the same building and from their involvement in the creation of the building," Zaret said.

For recent graduate Isla Vogelsang, the Vernier Science Center became a space where she could make connections across different subject areas.

"Being an interdisciplinary major, I love those types of connections," she said. "It's been kind of difficult to find spaces for that on campus because all of these departments have their own little niche areas, but this building really encompasses the Indigenous values of having that community."

She took classes in biology and ITECK and hosted plant-dye and seed-bomb workshops in the First Foods kitchen classroom.

"Coming from more of an arts background, science spaces can feel overwhelming," she said. "But being in a space that's a kitchen and is still oriented around science is just so awesome. The sense of community in that space is unmatched."

Faculty also say the design supports collaboration. Lisa Weasel, a professor in the School of Earth, Environment & Society, says the classrooms encourage interaction by eliminating the "sage on the stage" setup.

"We know that space makes a huge difference in the abilities for students to connect and collaborate in class," she said. "The way the classroom is set up, I can circulate around the room much more and students are facing each other much more."

Her research lab is now just down the hall. She plans to hold office and lab hours there after class so students can keep working on projects.

"It's just nice for our students to have really good facilities and feel comfortable in the space," she said.