University of Denver Spring 2025

GIVING BACK

DU Builds N e w Future Ready S TEM Facility STEM Horizons will serve as a hub for applied learning and innovative collaboration for students, faculty and the community.

B y Sarah Satterwhite & AJ Gordon

New construction on the DU Campus is ushering in an exciting era of scientific discovery and opportunity. The STEM Horizons building, located near the Daniel Felix Ritchie School of Engineering and Computer Science and scheduled to open in 2027, will provide 87,000 square feet of new and renovated research, laboratory, community partnership, business incubation and hands-on learning space. Accessibility, agility and innovation are hallmarks of DU’s long legacy of internationally renowned science, technology, engineering and mathematics

student will have access to the resources, advanced technologies and collaborative research environment needed for the future of STEM discovery, education and leadership in the Rocky Mountain West. “The STEM Horizons building will create hands on learning programs and open-concept laboratory spaces, allowing students of all backgrounds to explore, observe, apply and innovate STEM concepts and help them translate those experiences directly into their careers, including in science, engineering and innovation,” says Corinne Lengsfeld, senior vice provost for research and graduate education. What’s inside STEM Horizons? → 87,000 square feet of new and renovated research, laboratory, community partnership, business incubation and hands-on learning space. → 5 new undergraduate learning laboratories — 3 lower division and 2 upper division— connected by a covered pavilion. → The new building and on-campus renovations will move DU closer to reaching the $300 per square foot national average Scan for a video about STEM Horizons

(STEM) research. DU’s overall research volume has tripled in the past decade, with faculty contributing scientific solutions to significant

90% of DU faculty members have the highest possible degrees in their fields.

21st century challenges, from climate adaptation in key environments to progress on questions of public health. Paired with crucial renovations to the Boettcher West and Seeley G. Mudd buildings, the new STEM Horizons building ensures that faculty and every DU

for annual external research expenditures per square foot.

→ 23 life science laboratories will be upgraded to provide the high-quality research conditions scientists need to study and advance solutions for significant challenges facing our world. → The STEM Horizons building embodies DU’s commitment to the 4D Experience , providing students in every degree

program with opportunities for applied interdisciplinary learning that prepares them for dynamic careers and lives of purpose.

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UNIVERSITY OF DENVER MAGAZINE | SPRING 2025