Science Center

Fun Fact
A bison head in the Science Center became the center of a rivalry with a Harvard fraternity in the 1970s and '80s. They'd steal it, and then we'd steal it back, and then they'd come for it again. But once, in the mid '80s, the Wellesley girls weren't able to find it. At all. And it was gone for about ten years. Then one night, Campus Police got an anonymous call to go to the loading dock at the Science Center, and there was the bison, waiting to be picked up. Anyway, we figure what happened was one of these frat boys kept the bison after graduating, and was very proud of it, but was probably about to get married and his fiancee was not so keen on the large head, so she made him give it back.

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SCIENCE CENTER
Wellesley continues its strong tradition of preparing women for leadership roles in the sciences. Students have the opportunity to collaborate with faculty on research projects and they may be involved in research as early as their first year. Wellesley offers majors in astronomy, biological sciences, chemistry, computer science, geosciences, mathematics, physics, and psychology, as well as interdepartmental majors in astrophysics, biological chemistry, cognitive and linguistic sciences, environmental studies, and neuroscience. All of these departments and advisors, including the Medical Professions Advisory Committee, are located in the Science Center.

The building combines the architecture of Sage Hall, the original science building, with a dramatic 1977 addition, giving the center a feel that transcends time or era. The teaching and research facilities include electron microscopes, an X-ray diffractometer, nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometers, lasers, and telescopes, as well as a 105,000-volume library.