USC Aiken is planning to add a 5,000-square-foot laboratory space to its Science and Engineering building, an over $4 million change. Ground is expected to be broken on the project by fall 2026. 

The project is being funded by an $8.2 million grant approved for the college by the South Carolina General Assembly. According to Dr. Scott McKay with USCA’s College of Sciences and Engineering, the money not used for the lab addition will go toward maintenance for the Science and Engineering building which has been in place since the mid-1970s. 

The lab space itself is being called the ECARC, which stands for External Collaborative Applied Research Center. In this space, students and faculty will be able to work side by side with industry professionals to complete science and engineering research projects. 

The laboratory will include three wet lab spaces, which are labs that work with biological matter and chemicals. These three labs will focus on material science and engineering, advanced instrumentation and environmental management. 

“The only way you can produce good scientists is with research,” said McKay about the value of the upcoming space. 

He said it will also be a dedicated space for current and retired Savannah River National Laboratory scientists and engineers to provide mentorship to students. “The students get to work with some of the best scientists and engineers in the world. So you can’t beat that for a regional school,” he said.

The lab space will extend from the side of the Sciences and Engineering building that currently faces the Business and Education building, perpendicular to the side of the Humanities and Social Sciences building.

“We’re excited to get started with it,” he added. “I know our students, our chemists and our engineers and such and our environmental scientists are very excited about the space and this new collaboration.”