Tag Archives: Loyola Science Center

Where to Study on Campus – Revealed!

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Written by: Nicki Sanchirico Exsc/Kines ’18, DPT ’21

During graduate school, it is important to have a space where you can study effectively. My study style continuously changed throughout my undergraduate and graduate time at Scranton. Where I choose to study each day depends upon the material I am learning and the weather outside. Luckily, Scranton offers a wide variety of indoor and outdoor study areas for students. Even after being at The University of Scranton for seven years, I still love all the study areas that our campus has to offer! Below are a few of my favorite spots to study on a cold Winter’s day:

The Library

  • The 1st floor of the library offers an active study environment. It includes PCs, duel screen MACs, comfy seating, and group study areas. Via the student portal, my friends and I reserve a group study room whenever we know a big test is approaching. The study rooms include flat screen TVs, as well as a chalkboard or white board wall. Sometimes my friends and I connect our laptop to the TV screen to project practice problems. Then, we race against each other to correctly write the answer on the wall. For me, this is a useful way to practice quick information recall, learn from classmates and have friendly competition! The TV screens can also be used to practice group presentations or to simply review notes with friends.
  • In contrast to the 1st floor, the 5th floor is used for quiet study sessions. The 5th floor is split into two areas. One area has beautiful mural panels painted around the perimeter. It features natural lighting with views of sunsets and a ceiling that creates a relaxing background noise on rainy days. Large study tables give students ample room to spread out notes, and comfortable couches give students a cozy spot to read. The other area of the 5th floor has books, cubicles, and Brody chairs. Brody chairs are giant comfy chairs with a tray table for work, outlets for laptops, and dividers between chairs for focus. My friends and I compare them to first-class airplane seats! Since the chairs can be reserved for two-hour time blocks, and the 5th floor library is one of the quietest spots on campus, this area provided the perfect environment for my online exams this past Fall!

    Picture of a student using a Brody chair in our University library!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edward Leahy Jr. Hall (Leahy)

  • In Leahy, there are PT/OT/Kinesiology practice labs, group study rooms and seating by Einstein Bros Bagels (referred to by students as simply “Einsteins”). As a physical therapy student, I often study in the labs; however, the seating by Einsteins has consistently been one of my favorite study spots on campus ever since Leahy was built (during my sophomore year)! Einsteins provides tables where I can spread out my work, as well as a space where I can chat with my friends during my study breaks. Plus, who doesn’t love studying by warm bagels and hot chocolate on a cold Winter day? Both the group study rooms and Einsteins are open to all students. In fact, many of my friends in other academic disciplines also study here with me!

    Picture of students studying near Einsteins!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Loyola Science Center

  • Loyola Science Center (LSC) is where I spent most of my study time during my undergraduate years. LSC offers labs for a variety of majors within the College of Arts and Sciences, student study tables/chairs, group study rooms, and Bleeker Street Café. All the study rooms in LSC have a chalkboard and floor to ceiling windows. My favorite part about the study rooms is that the windows provide gorgeous views of campus, and students can write on the windows using dry erase markers! Studying always seems much easier when I am overlooking freshly fallen snow and have a warm croissant from Bleeker in hand.

    Picture of a student studying in an LSC study room!

  • LSC is also the home to the Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence (CTLE). The CTLE provides services to students who have disabilities and peer tutoring to any student who requests it. If students are interested, they may apply to be tutors in subject areas they excelled in. I personally tutored for Statistics, Nutrition, and Kinesiology! Currently, my roommate works as a tutor for the Writing Center, assisting both undergraduate and graduate students through various stages of the writing process. The CTLE is a great resource for students who need a little extra academic help or for those who want to gain experience in teaching others.

The University has such a wide variety of study spots that it was hard for me to just chose a few favorite ones!  The library has multiple other areas that my friends describe as “hidden gems” on the 2nd through 4th floors. Besides Leahy and LSC, all the other academic buildings have areas that I enjoy studying in. Even as a physical therapy major, one of my other favorite study spots is in Brennan Hall (the home to the Kania School of Management) on a couch outside the Pearn Auditorium!

Once you come to campus, you can explore and find which areas work best for you. Regardless of your studying preferences, you are sure to find a study spot that fits your needs!

P.S. Once the warm weather begins, stay tuned for a post about some my favorite outdoor study spaces!

University of Scranton Science Center Ranked Among Best in the World

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The University of Scranton’s Loyola Science Center was among “The 50 Most Impressive Environmentally Friendly University Buildings” in the world recognized by Best Masters Degrees, an education and career website for prospective graduate students.

The Loyola Science Center, ranked at No. 19, is listed with academic buildings in Seoul, South Korea, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia, and Beruit, Lebanon, as well as facilities from campuses across the United States.

According to the website, the buildings selected “reflect leadership in sustainability and also have significant visual impact.”

The 200,000-square-foot, $85 million Loyola Science Center, dedicated in the fall of 2012, is the largest capital project in University’s history. The facility, designed by Einhorn Yaffee Prescott Architecture & Engineering (EYP), earned Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, gold status certification in 2014.

Among the center’s many “green features” are energy-efficient lighting and controls, water conserving plumbing fixtures, high efficiency boilers and chillers, rain garden features, green house, observation deck and a computerized building control system that operates the ventilation, heating, and air conditioning systems. Materials for the center were supplied from within a 500-mile radius, including a blend of locally quarried West Mountain stone. All laboratories and spaces are designed to maximize energy efficiency. The building’s massive heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system employs a heat-exchange wheel to recirculate already conditioned heated or cooled air.

The building is visually recognizable for its synthesis of locally quarried stone with the extensive use of glass that admits natural light into laboratories and teaching spaces. The design makes use of high-efficiency glazing to reduce energy consumption, enhance visibility and views and puts science on grand display.

In October of 2018, The Princeton Review recognized Scranton among the most environmentally responsible colleges in the nation through its inclusion in the 2018 edition of “The Princeton Review Guide to 399 Green Colleges.”  In addition, The Princeton Review has listed Scranton in its “Best Colleges” guidebooks among the nation’s top 20 “Best Science Labs” for the past four consecutive years, ranking Scranton’s science labs at No. 16 in the country its 2019 edition.