Potomac Science Center Dedication Ceremony

On April 12, 2018, George Mason University added another valuable new academic and research facility for the Mason and local community with the dedication of the Potomac Science Center.

The waterfront center is home to the Potomac Environmental Research and Education Center, or PEREC, which will occupy much of the building. There are wet labs for teaching and research, lecture rooms, offices, a spatial analysis laboratory and a library resource center. And, of course, there is the Occoquan River.

Peggy Agouris, the dean of College of Science at George Mason University, spoke at a recent dedication ceremony, and said that the scientists at the center would be working to develop a “greater understanding of the ecological conditions of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.”

Scientists working at the center will focus on restoration of the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay, global climate change, suburban sustainability and management of natural ecosystems, according to a university press release.

The center will also welcome high school students from across the region who are interested in science, said George Mason University President Ángel Cabrera. He went on to say that the scientists at the center would be immersed in their research at the same time they would be involved in the community. “This is not just scientists working in isolation. They are totally connected to the environment around them and to the communities around them. We are going to inspire new generations of scientists. You’re going to see great stuff happen in this incredible facility.”

GMU’s Creative Services photographer Evan Cantwell documented the event. See the album here: https://photo.gmu.edu/SchoolsColleges/COS/Potomac-Science-Center/i-p2pFd5R

University and local media news coverage of the event has been active.  Sources for this post include:

Mason News: https://www2.gmu.edu/news/512041

Prince William County of Virginia: http://www.pwcgov.org/news/pages/New-Environmental-Research-and-Education-Complex-Opens.aspx

Prince William Living: https://princewilliamliving.com/new-environmental-research-and-education-complex-opens/