UK to use former Northside Branch of Lexington Public Library for outreach, research
February 14, 2012
Come August, undergraduate biology students will share the old Northside Branch of the Lexington Public Library, located on Russell Clave Road, with a UK outreach program.
The P-12 Math and Science outreach unit of the Partnership Institute for Math and Science Education Reform provides outreach groups and training for administrators and teachers in the areas of math and science.
No permanent residence exists for the unit of PIMSER.
“We used to use local churches. We’ve used a lot of hotels,” said Kim Zeidler-Watters, director of the program.
For those who travel far, “the space allows for easy access,” Zeidler-Watters said. “Many come from western or eastern Kentucky for the outreach program.”
Parking will be available, and everything is on one level so educators won’t have to haul materials up stairs. It is also close to the interstate, so campus traffic can be avoided.
Zeidler-Watters said she hopes to eventually have an expansion on the back for a larger training space with a capacity of 70-150.
Bought by the university in 2008, the Northside building is now part of the ecological research facility. It sits aside a 55-acre field, home to animals that aid in ecological research, UK Provost Kumble Subbaswamy said.
For the biology department, “it was natural to acquire the building,” Subbaswamy said.
According to their website, the biology department will have a “30-seat teaching laboratory with prep room, office and computer labs, and access to shared classroom space in this building.”
Plans for the renovation began last week and include the restructuring of internal walls and storage spaces.
Subbaswamy said it will cost $2.3 million, but not all of the money is coming from the university.
For its 20 anniversary last year, Lexmark gave $1 million toward the renovation.
“We’re very excited about our role in helping the university transform the former Northside Library into a resource center for science, technology, engineering and math education,” Sheri Evans Depp, director of Talent Management for Lexmark, said in an email to the Kernel. “Our goal is to encourage more students to pursue careers in math and science and help fuel growth and innovation in our community.”
Not only do biology and education students benefit, but the building is also an opportunity for the “pipeline of high school students,” Subbaswamy said. “It’s a win-win-win situation.”
