The Swenson Science Building (SSB) is one of several architectural marvels here on campus. It’s also home to several majors that reside within the Swenson College of Science and Engineering. The spiral staircase casts the shadow of a double helix, and Swenson is built so that, from the outside, the building resembles a ship coming into the harbor. It’s also another favorite place students study and gather on campus. Additionally, the nearby pond (which is home to a family of ducks) is used for research and is an integral part of the stormwater handling system.
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Swenson Science Building was named for James I. Swenson and Susan Swenson, of the Swenson Family Foundation. Jim Swenson was a 1959 Chemistry graduate who completed a research project on peat as an undergraduate at UMD.
- There are 16 teaching labs for general, organic and bio-chemistry courses and general, cell, molecular and micro-biology courses.
- The labs were designed to integrate modern experimental methods and state of the art instrumentation to encourage teamwork, meet all safety regulations, and to allow for the expansion of undergraduate research.
- There are 12 research labs for faculty in Biology and Chemistry Departments along with several rooms for specialty research support; these include cold, tissue culture, variable temperature, radioisotope, aquaria and equipment rooms.
- The pond is both a biological experimental site for students and faculty and an integral part of the storm water handling system.
- The outside of the building resembles a ship pulling into the harbor.
- The spiral staircase outside casts a shadow of the Double Helix.
- The Wild Ricing Moon sculpture stands 70 feet high next to the building, and was designed by Minnesota artist John David Mooney.