Santa Monica College unveiled its new 110,000-square-foot Mathematics + Science Building on Saturday, bringing together four academic departments under one roof for the first time and offering the public access to the region's most advanced telescope.
The LEED Gold-certified facility, funded through voter-approved bond measures AA and V along with state funding, houses the Earth Sciences, Mathematics, Life Sciences and Physical Sciences departments in a building that college officials say will transform undergraduate education.
"Each community member who voted for bond measures AA and V demonstrated their belief in SMC's life-changing mission, and that the opportunity to innovate, to shine, and to pursue the best-possible higher education should be open to all," said Dr. Nancy Greenstein, chair of the SMC Board of Trustees, at a ribbon-cutting ceremony that preceded the open house.
The building's centerpiece is the new Santa Monica College Planetarium and Observatory, featuring a 0.7-meter CDK700 telescope — the only such telescope available to the public in the Los Angeles region. The planetarium uses a Digistar 7 projection system, the same technology employed at Griffith Observatory.
"The new PlaneWave CDK700 telescope opens a true window to the universe and puts Santa Monica College in the company of research universities around the world," said Jason Beardsley, vice president of academic affairs.
Public shows will begin Friday, Nov. 14, with "Night Sky Show" programs at 7 p.m. exploring current celestial objects and astronomy news, followed by feature programs at 8 p.m. Once monthly, weather permitting, the feature program will be replaced with live telescope viewing from the rooftop observatory.
The facility houses 22 classrooms and 11 laboratories equipped with cutting-edge educational technology. Fifteen rooms feature "Hyflex" capabilities, allowing instructors to simultaneously teach students attending in person and online — a critical feature for SMC's diverse student population.
"A very large percentage of SMC students are first-generation, and many hold down part-time jobs while pursuing an education here to make a better life for themselves and their families," said Math Professor Brian Rodas, who has taught at SMC for more than 24 years. "To say that this space has transformed the teaching-learning experience is truly an understatement."
The building features document cameras that project live experiments onto high-definition displays and channel glass walls that flood classrooms with natural light. In chemistry labs, see-through hoods provide clear sightlines throughout the space, allowing better instructor supervision during experiments.
"The moment anyone steps into our new labs, they always remark on how stunning and bright the space is," said Dr. Jennifer Hsieh, chair of the Physical Sciences Department. "Beyond being beautiful, the new labs are highly functional."
The Physical Sciences Department gained sophisticated analytical equipment, including Gas Chromatograph/Mass Spectrometer and High-Performance Liquid Chromatograph instruments. The department also acquired two Monowave 50 reactors that accelerate chemical reactions from hours to minutes, allowing more complex experiments in class time.
These additions will support a new "Introduction to Chemical Instrumentation" course and enable students to earn a Certificate of Achievement in Chemical Technician Skills, pending board approval.
The Life Sciences Department expanded its biotechnology program with additional lab space for Biology 31-35 courses, helping students complete certificates more efficiently. Earth Sciences gained a new Geographic Information Systems lab where students learn to convert data into maps, and expanded anthropology labs with new bone casts for studying human evolution.
The physics lab accommodates the complete physics for engineering sequence with specialized features including red lights and blackout curtains for optics work.
SMC Superintendent/President Dr. Kathryn E. Jeffery said the building "was designed to inspire and to represent SMC's vision of education: the striving toward a better, more sustainable future while staying true to a shared past."
The design seamlessly integrates the restored Memorial Clocktower, dedicated in 1955 to commemorate SMC student veterans who died in World War II and the Korean War.
Sustainable features that earned the building LEED Gold certification include low-flow toilets, efficient mechanical systems, energy-efficient lighting, reflective roofing and drought-tolerant landscaping, according to Charlie Yen, director of facilities planning and construction.
The building, which won a design award in 2024 from the Los Angeles Business Council in the "under construction category," had its soft opening in late 2024 and began serving students then. Saturday's open house marked the official celebration of the facility's completion.
Professor of Astronomy Simon Balm said the new facility "transforms astronomy from something you read about to something you experience."
The planetarium's public programs and additional information are available at smc.edu/planetarium.