UW-Milwaukee unveiled its chemistry building with a grand opening ceremony on Friday. The project cost $118 million, a six-year campaign of securing funds, design and construction.

This is the third ceremony held for this 163,400-square-foot building. First was a groundbreaking ceremony held in January of 2022 followed by a Topping Off Ceremony in January of 2023. 

To celebrate the grand opening, a ceremonial “chemical reaction” was organized by the Chemistry Department and carried out by Dean of the College of Letters and Science Scott Gronert.

“It’s the chemistry department, so we’re not going to cut a ribbon or break open a bottle of champagne,” said Gronert. 

The ceremony, hosted by Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Andrew Daire, also had several speakers including Chancellor Mark Mone, UWM Board of Regents President Amy Bogost, Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Administration Kathy Blumenfeld and Dean of the College of Letters and Science Scott Gronert. 

“The chemical industry is the fifth-largest manufacturing sector in Wisconsin, said Mone. “UWM graduates are vital to that industry… This building will not only enhance the learning experience for our students, but it will also fill the state’s talent pipeline and bolster our research capabilities, contributing to significant scientific advances.”

According to Mone, this building would not have been possible without the support of the Universities of Wisconsin, UWM Campus Space management and Planning, UWM Board of Regents, State of Wisconsin Building Commission and the State of Wisconsin Department of Administration Division of Facilities Development.  

“Chemistry is a foundation,” said Mone. “It’s a building block for so many programs on our campus – engineers, environmental science, forensics, freshwater sciences, nursing, medical technology, teaching and many more.” 

Teaching Tomorrow’s Scientists 

More than 3,500 students take chemistry or biochemistry classes at UWM every year. In 2015, UWM was recognized as an R1 research institution, placing it in the top tier of research universities in the nation. 

“Each of these students have one or often several chemistry courses as they prepare for their futures,” said Mone. “That’s what it’s about – preparing students for their futures.”

According to Bogost, 88% of those who earned bachelors, masters and doctorate degrees at UWM in 2024 graduated in fields of high demand such as health and human services, business, STEM, and computer science. 

Bogost added that 5,300 have graduated from UWM each year over the last decade, 80% of which have stayed in the state

The new chemistry building is meant to serve as a gateway to UWM’s STEM departments and help faculty and staff better prepare students interested in fast-growing fields like medicine, genetic engineering, toxicology, pharmaceutics, chemical education, nanoscience and more.  

“In July, Wisconsin was officially selected as a regional technology hub,” said Blumenfield. “[It was] recognized as a global leader in personal medicine and biotech. To be successful in all of these fields, we will need future scientists, leaders, researchers, and technical experts.” 

To honor the opening of the new chemistry building, Sterling Pharma Solutions has donated $25,000 to the chemistry and biochemistry department. 

Designed for Science by Science 

“When we were designing the building, it was difficult because the design phase started before COVID-19,” said Gronert. 

The building was designed and engineered through a partnership between CannonDesign and Kahler Slater. Construction began in 2022, and was spearheaded by VJS Construction Services. 

The new Chemistry building features state-of-the-art labs, advanced research equipment and flexible learning spaces that reflect the latest trends in chemistry education and research. After the ceremony, visitors were allowed to explore the building and all it has to offer. 

The basement houses the single most expensive piece of equipment purchased through new building funds, a magnetic resonance facility designed to teach undergraduate and graduate students about the applications of nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The basement is not open to the public, and visitors were not allowed to tour the facility. 

The first floor has two lecture halls, a teaching studio and outreach lab to support learning for K-12 teachers and students studying to be teachers, and a chemistry supplemental instruction space for tutoring. 

The second floor has teaching labs designed specifically for nursing, health sciences and engineering majors. Visitors could also get free t-shirts and enjoy some ice cream made with liquid nitrogen. 

The third floor houses the Industry Incubator Research Lab where companies can form partnerships and space agreements to occupy the building for research and teaching opportunities. 

“The Milwaukee Institute for Drug Design will be housed in this building,” said Blumenfield. “Its members have secured over $27 million in research funding and produced 63 patent applications since 2017.” 

The third floor also houses the organic chemistry research suite and teaching lab for the development of new organic reactions to enable the synthesis of new drug candidates for cancer, respiratory and other diseases. 

Visitors could also watch a Scientific Glassblowing Demonstration where they used a specially-designed lathe and blow torches to add a second neck to a boiling flask. 

The fourth floor was designed for bio- and inorganic chemistry researchers who study systems ranging from antibiotic biosynthesis to the search for new antiviral compounds and the inner workings of metalloenzymes. 

The building was also designed with sustainability in mind, utilizing a modern HVAC and exhaust system with energy recovery to help preheat the air in the winter and cool the air in the summer.