Editor's note: The full Board of Trustees approved the proposal at its meeting on Feb. 16.
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Penn State Board of Trustees Committee on Finance, Business and Capital Planning advanced a proposal today (Feb. 15) to renovate a portion of Osmond Laboratory at the University Park campus, constructing a 48,000-square-foot addition in support of the physics department.
The proposal will be considered by the full board at its meeting on Feb. 16.
This project, referred to as the “Physics and Osmond Renovation Project,” will feature new, cutting-edge research lab spaces and a high-bay research facility; a space to facilitate collaborations; updated outdoor spaces, including a courtyard outside of the lecture halls; and lecture hall renovations.
“This project provides critical updates to the Osmond Laboratory in support of world-class physics research and education,” said Tracy Langkilde, Verne M. Willaman Dean of the Eberly College of Science. “The quality of our faculty and their research has a direct impact on our reputation, student success and scientific innovation, which in turn allows us to recruit the best students. This project is critical for our ability to meet that goal.”
The new high-bay research facility will provide space for large-scale instrument assembly and testing that includes balloons, rockets, satellite payloads and deep-underground experiments in areas of particle and astroparticle physics. The addition of this facility will be instrumental in the research done by the physics department and will help attract more large interdisciplinary projects to Penn State.
In addition, the Physics and Osmond Renovation Project will include the construction of a regional stormwater-management detention structure to improve handling of runoff. Separately, Osmond Laboratory will undergo specific deferred maintenance.
“These updates to the physics department facilities, specifically those for condensed-matter physics and particle astrophysics, located in Osmond Laboratory, will help us us continue to attract and retain the best faculty in support of our highly ranked program,” said Mauricio Terrones, George A. and Margaret M. Downsbrough Head of the Department of Physics and Evan Pugh University Professor. “I would like to thank Nitin Samarth, David Weiss, Melissa Diamanti and Vincent Crespi, each of whom was instrumental in getting this project off the ground. With these investments for up-to-date scientific space and infrastructure, we hope to build upon and advance our current status among the top 15 NRC-ranked programs — particularly by enhancing our ability to compete for new faculty hires and external grant funding.”
This project has an allotted budget of $115 million, and construction is expected to begin in March.
In 2023, Penn State’s physics program tied for 21st in the country by the U.S. News & World Report. The physics department is the backbone of many interdisciplinary research collaborations across Penn State and beyond, and it is a core educator, teaching approximately 7,000 undergraduate STEM majors each year.