Berry College Science Center

This ultra-modern $25 million, 130,000-sq. ft. science center, situated between Evans Hall and Hermann Hall in the heart of the main campus, opened for classes in January 2001. The departments of biology, chemistry, mathematics and computer science, and physics, astronomy, and geology are located within. The facility has a number of state-of-the-art general and specialized laboratories for aquatics, tissue culture, microscopy/image analysis, and for specialized instrumentation. It is equipped with two controlled-temperature environmental chambers, three greenhouses, a robotics lab, and a darkroom.

Thirty faculty/student team research laboratories provide the facilities needed for sophisticated research and contribute to the work-study and directed-study programs. In addition, the building contains a 200-seat, multimedia auditorium; 19 lecture classrooms that are adaptable to different modes of teaching, including four electronic classrooms; 18 classroom laboratories, 7 library/reading rooms, and laboratories suitable to studies by groups of students in cooperative efforts. Two outdoor amphitheaters are suitable for lectures, informal meetings, or casual gatherings. Throughout, the building was constructed with emphases on safety, technology, and efficiency. In the atrium, suspended from the ceiling a height of 60 feet, is a Foucault pendulum, given in memory of Henry C. Berry, Martha Berry's nephew, by his wife and daughter. This breathtaking and formidable structure is one of approximately sixty in existence and the only pendulum of its kind in the southeast. Named after its inventor, Jean Bernard Foucault, the pendulum is designed to demonstrate the

Students and faculty have only begun to realize the potential the facility holds for collaborative research and individual explorations in the sciences. The scientific process involves both exploration and explanation, and that includes communication. This building is very much about explanation--it is not just laboratories and classrooms, but it is "a place where students and faculty can discuss their work, plan and dream." These thoughts, spoken by Dean Bruce Conn in an interview, give insight into the prevailing philosophy shared by the faculty in the sciences. At Berry, faculty are not only concerned with their personal research, but also realize that the high quality of our students allows for very important student/faculty collaboration. A major goal is to engage undergraduates in levels of participation typically reserved for graduate or professional study.

Credit for this remarkable structure is given to The Winter Construction Company and to O'Neal, Inc., both of Atlanta, and to the administration and staff, science faculty, students, and benefactors of Berry College.

Lamar Westcott Building

Built in 1955 of stone from a nearby quarry, the interestingly-designed Westcott Building is situated behind the majestic English Gothic-style Ford buildings. The view shown here is of the side of the building with new landscaping designed and built by Berry horticulture students. The interior has been remodeled, most recently in the late 1980s. It is now very nicely appointed and has student appeal. The building originally housed the food-processing plant and school laundry. From 1974 to 1980, it housed the meat-processing plant and offices for agriculture. The processing plant was closed, and the animal and plant sciences department moved into the building

Agricultural Facilities

The horticultural greenhouses provide many valuable services to the College. Not only do they provide plant materials used in teaching and research, they also provide ornamentals for our grounds and campus events. The Rollins Ruminant Research Center provides a state-of-the-art facility that is well suited to teaching and research. Part of the Rollins Center has been designed as apartments for student workers who will be in charge of early morning duties at the facility before classes begin. The College continues to maintain a sizable herd of registered Angus and a small commercial herd for academic study--genetics, physiology, and beef management, preveterinary medicine--as well as providing opportunities for practical experience with these types of animals. There is also a small flock of commercial sheep housed at the Center. The Gunby Center boards Berry-owned and student-owned horses. Our horses support instruction in hunt-seat and stock-seat equitation, and the equine breeding program offers students further laboratory opportunities. Several full-time employees and a number of students who work part-time manage the dairy and beef operations, equine center and horticultural greenhouses. For more detailed information on the agricultural facilities, click here.

Berry College Land

There is no other college in the world that can equal our land resources: 26,000 acres. The land is ripe with biological diversity and provides for our students an outdoor classroom and research laboratory beyond compare. Rare species of plants and animals have been identified as well as various ecosystems, soils, and topography. The land was a major source of pride for our founder, Miss Martha Berry, and she continued to stress its importance for financial security and educational purposes until her death in the 1940s. It wasn't until September 2000, however, that the first organizational meeting of the College Educational Land Management Committee was held. This committee has been charged with the stewardship of the institution's land resources for educational use. Its members serve in an advisory role to the President of the College. Faculty and outside guests who wish to conduct activities on the land are encouraged to register their intent. With this unique outdoor laboratory, Berry is beginning to establish itself as a world-class institution in the area of environmental sciences.