Building For The
Future
We imagine a place where significant discoveries are conceived and where recent high school students, returning veterans and working adults prepare for new careers by working with first-class faculty in STEM programs integrated with business, humanities and social sciences.
“There is no sense designing something for today. You have to design for the future.”
-Karen A. Holbrook, PhD, Regional Chancellor
The proposed Integrated Science and Technology Complex (ISTC) will be much more than the center for STEM learning on the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus. It will be a catalyst for transformational experiences in and out of the classroom.
CLOSING THE GAP
USF Sarasota-Manatee campus recognizes the vital role women play in the continued growth of STEM-based careers, where they are underrepresented despite comprising more than half the population. USF Sarasota-Manatee campus is helping to address this shortfall by creating Women in STEM, a committee made up of successful women who will serve as role models, mentors, advocates and fundraisers for the proposed new Integrated Science and Technology Complex.
Women in STEM committee members will encourage girls and young women to pursue opportunities in STEM and support the development of ISTC to produce career-ready science and technology graduates with the skills and knowledge to help businesses thrive.
The ISTC plan includes flexible lab space to promote hands-on learning, makerspace/discovery labs, social learning spaces for informal exchange and collaboration, reconfigurable classrooms, large-scale gathering spaces and glass walls to create a sense of openness, energy and vitality.
An integrated STEM education requires highly specialized facilities to provide substantial programs that attract first-class students, faculty and research projects. Building plans call for a 75,000-square foot, multi-level complex with a price tag of $46.5 million.
