Livingstone College

SALISBURY – Livingstone College is preparing to celebrate the grand opening of its state-of-the art F. George Shipman Science Annex, named after its sixth president. The event will be held on Feb. 11 at 11 a.m. in front of the new science center on campus, followed by a reception and tour inside the building. Among special guests will be immediate and extended members of Dr. F. George Shipman’s family, including his only child, Rev. Sheldon Shipman, as well as former co-workers and local, state and national educators. The grand opening and ribbon cutting of the new science annex punctuates the college’s growing STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) program and focus on encouraging more African-American students to major in STEM areas of study. The new 16,000-square-foot science annex will feature dedicated laboratory/research spaces for microbiology, human anatomy/physiology, biochemistry and general chemistry, with smaller laboratory spaces for specialized research and a tissue culture lab. One of the significant highlights of the facility is its planetarium/immersion theater with SciDome IQ 2400 technology, where students have a virtual-reality experience in human anatomy, physics, astronomy and earth science In addition to the planetarium, the annex includes a SCALE-UP classroom that facilitates active and collaborative learning, and a hydroponic greenhouse. The new annex will allow Livingstone College the proper environment to implement a $2.24 million STEM grant it received in the fall from the National Science Foundation. The grant was the largest, single grant received in the history of the college and will fund a …