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Nathan Riggs '05 and Jessica Tsai '05 study a few of the denizens of the 900-gallon aquarium that is the centerpiece of the main lobby.
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Phelps Facts
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Architectural
. 2,500 cubic yards of concrete
. 611 tons of structural steel
. 300,000 bricks
. 70,000 concrete blocks
. 16,000 square feet of copper roofing
. 300 gallons of paint
. 44,000 VCT floor tiles
. 1,400 stainless steel floor tiles
. 2,000 linear feet of epoxy countertops
. 6,300 square feet of window treatment
. 450 feet of 72-inch concrete pipe for steam tunnels
. 1,300 feet of granite curbing
. 200 feet of chainlink fence
. 130 trees
. 675 shrubs
. 9,700 ground cover plants
Plumbing
. 6,000 linear feet of acid waste pipe
. 8,000 linear feet of gas pipe
. 12,000 linear feet of drainage pipe
. 2,000 linear feet of copper pipe
. 4,600 hangers
HVAC piping
. 150,000 pounds (75 tons) of galvanized metal for ductwork
. 70,000 square feet of duct insulation
Electrical
. 38 miles of conduit
. 208 miles of wire
. 430 switches
. 1,900 receptacles
. 48 motors wired
. 562 fire alarm devices
. 4,000 junction boxes
. 950 light fixtures
. 3,400 light bulbs
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The science center was made possible by the pooled efforts of many in the Exeter community
and the generous support of donors. Stanford N. Phelps '52 and his wife, Elizabeth, for whom
the science center is named, have long been supporters of Exeter. Their gift of $15 million
towards the construction of the new building is the largest gift they have made to the
Academy. "I wanted to make the science building a reality because I believe the nation
will benefit from the future contributions of Exeter students who study within its walls,"
Stan Phelps says. "You know, the whale oil business isn't so good in Boston anymore. And
the buggy whip companies aren't doing too well either. Science and technology are changing
the world, and a new science center is right where Exeter should be."
Peter Durham '85 has also given generously to the Academy over the years. A software
design engineer for MSNBC, he was hesitant to attach his name to the computer science
wing of the building, but decided to do so, he says, to show young alums that they can
make a difference by supporting Exeter. At the dedication of the science center, he met
with students and discussed his work in the field of technology.
Making the new facility a welcoming place where students and faculty want to spend time
was one of the science department's chief goals for the building. Peter Southam, who teaches
chemistry, biology and genetics, has already noticed an increase in traffic. "Students are
coming to the Science Center to hang out. This is a complete change-180 degrees from where
we were last year. The students wanted to get out of Thompson as quickly as possible when
class was over. Now we have students checking out of the dorm at night to go work in the
science center lounge."
Southam's classroom is located in the multi-science wing. In his Introduction to Genetics
class, students gather at the Harkness table to compare their results in recent experiments
and then cross the hall to the common lab. Here they work in pairs, sedating fruit flies
and observing the variety of their genetic characteristics under the microscope.
Ralph Callaway, who came to Exeter this year as a senior, takes a break from recording
the different phenotypes of the fruit fly to put his data on a computer. He acknowledges
that the science center influenced his decision to leave his home in Georgia and enroll
at Exeter. "When I came to visit, the science center was being built. I was really excited.
Science is my favorite subject. At my old school, we only had one small chemistry lab.
Here we have all the different lab rooms for the different subjects. You can do whatever
you want."
Students who are not new to Exeter are equally enthusiastic. Udochi Nwogu, a four-year
senior from the Bronx, says she just wishes the new building could have been completed
sooner. "I'm sorry I won't be here to use this building longer. The technology in the
classrooms is a lot more advanced. It makes you realize how blessed we are and what rich
resources we have. It makes me want to work harder, to take advantage of these great
resources."
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Aaron Cooper, a four-year senior from Newmarket, NH, complains that a liberal arts
college he visited with a strong biology curriculum did not have facilities comparable
to the Phelps Science Center. Still, he wouldn't trade his year of being able to take
classes in the new building and singles out the technology for praise as well.
"At my old school I was not very good at using the microscopes. Here we have the
overhead projector, so we can look at images projected from the microscope onto
the screen," he explains. "You can see if you've got it right."
Giving the Gifts of Nature and Art
The Phelps Science Center is not the only new addition to the landscape
of Tan Lane. Simple Gifts, an archway consisting of two 12-foot pillars of sculpted pink granite,
each topped with the majestic form of a dove, has been installed between the new science facility
and the Forrestal-Bowld Music Center. The sculpted pillars create a grand entryway to Fisher Theater,
one that leads through a new teaching space: the Class of 1951 Outdoor Classroom, Amphitheater and
Wetland Garden.
Joining sculptor Jim Sardonis '69 (fifth from right) to celebrate the dedication of his archway Simple Gifts were his classmates (left to right) Richard Rowe, Kelly Teevan, Susan Herney (Hon.), Charles Harris, George Baine, Bill Mahoney, Curt Perry, Fred Danforth and John Ettinger.
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In celebration of its 50th reunion, the class of 1951 joined en masse to support the science
department's vision for a diverse, sustainable environment where Exeter students could explore
various ecosystems in their own backyard. The result is a newly designed space behind the science
facility that includes a reclaimed wetland area, a small meadow and a hillside planting designed
to attract birds and other wildlife. A simple amphitheater provides seats for two classes to meet
together, and a bridge over the wetland area completes the passage to Fisher Theater.
The area will offer Exeter students opportunities to conduct ecological studies and to
participate in ongoing environmental management of the site. Not only does the classroom
furnish an important field study resource, but it also functions as a beautiful new "quadrangle"
and sanctuary for the entire Exeter community.
The granite birds that first welcome visitors to the site are the creation of alumnus Jim
Sardonis '69. The archway was funded in part by donations made by his class at the time of their
30th reunion in 1999. A resident of Randolph, VT, Sardonis has created a number of high-profile
public sculptures, including pieces for the New England Aquarium and Yale University.
Over a period of nine months, Sardonis set upon two 251¼2-ton blocks of rough-hewn Canadian
granite with diamond saws, pneumatic chisels and grinders. "I use a subtractive process, much
like the ancient Greek and Egyptian stone carvers," he says. Like much of the work he has
created over the past 20 years, Simple Gifts is distinguished by its use of natural forms
and exaggeration of scale. "My work is generally about the interconnectedness of all forms
of life, and the importance of each," he explains. "I have always been interested in subjects
taken from nature, particularly animal forms, and try to capture their essence without a lot
of detail. I often play with scale to draw attention to life forms that some might consider
insignificant."
Sardonis became interested in art while a student at Exeter, an interest that was nurtured
by the faculty, especially by instructor Cabot Lyford, himself a stone carver. "Exeter is
where it all started," says Sardonis, who went on to major in both studio art and art history
at Oberlin. For his senior project at Exeter, Sardonis helped build a foundry in the art
department and cast some small pieces in bronze. "It's very meaningful to me to have my piece
located right across the street from where I created my very first sculpture."
—Bill Ewing
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