The School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, the only pharmacy school in the SUNY system, has moved to South Campus.
The new building is named in honor of John N. Kapoor, a pharmacy school alumnus who donated $10.8 million to the UB Pharmacy program, according to Rebecca Brierley, assistant dean of External Affairs for the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.
The new location brings the pharmacy school closer to the other health sciences schools, such as dental medicine, nursing and public health. This move brings the school back to where it was founded a little over 120 years ago.
Kapoor Hall features technology never before seen on UB's campus. This technology allows the students to see what the professor is doing on their own computer screens, according to Brierley.
"Lecture halls now have the most innovative technology in the classroom," Brierley said. "[Classrooms have] dual projection capacity, which is highly unusual. ... It's a highly sophisticated work station."
The advanced technology has already started impacting the pharmacy students who have been attending class in Kapoor Hall.
"It's newer than most of the buildings and it's prettier," said Brandan Radford, a sophomore pharmacology and toxicologymajor."It seems like the newer technology will definitely have a positive impact on the curriculum and education of students."
This new technology includes the Pharmaceutical Care Teaching and Learning Center, which aims to support the practice of real world applications of the pharmacy curriculum. The building is also home to a model pharmacy where students learn hands-on how to work in a pharmacy.
"It's very modern and stands out from all of the older buildings on South," Radford said. "Overall I really just like the look of the architecture of the building itself, because it brings some life to campus. My only hope is that the new technology in the building just makes it a better experience for research during my undergrad if I choose to do that at some point."
The building consists of four floors; the first two consist mainly of lecture halls, classrooms and offices for administration. The top two floors are where students can do their main research and lounge.
The building is built to meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)certification at the silver level, according to Brierley.
Out of 110 possible points available for different environmental aspects of the building, Kapoor Hall has achieved between 50 and 60 points. Points are awarded for innovation in design, water efficiency, energy usage, indoor environmental quality and regional priority, according to usgbc.org.
An environmental feature that stands out to Brierley is the use of available natural light, which "creates a healthy working environment for students and give the building a major design boost."
The building's funding came from the state and the university. The project didn't have a set budget because it kept getting donations from various sources, which allowed freedom with the construction process, according to Brierley.
"After many years of work, we are relieved to finally be here," Brierley said. "In a building that is so unique and functional and so great for the students."
Email: features@ubspectrum.com
Additional reporting by Senior Life Editor Rachel Kramer.
