New Lower-Division Labs in Jolley Hall (Photo courtesy of the Biology Department).

WashU’s Department of Biology unveiled nine newly constructed teaching labs on the second and third floors of Jolley Hall at the start of the semester. These labs will house all introductory biology courses and upper-division labs in the department. The 16,000-square-foot renovation of Jolley replaced seven labs inside Rebstock Hall that will soon be revamped and converted into research labs for 6-8 new faculty hires. 

Ram Dixit, Chair of the Department of Biology, said that the teaching faculty had a significant role in designing the layout of the teaching labs to encourage collaboration between students.

The labs designated for introductory biology classes hold 24 students each and include bays where students work on their labs in an open circle, allowing them to work together more easily. 

Two collaboration spaces can be found on the second and third floor, where students can come together to complete their work. 

Dixit also mentioned that one of the collaboration spaces will soon have a large screen installed, allowing students to pull up projects or lab reports for group work, and that the Vertebrate Structure Lab will soon feature a high-resolution digital anatomy table, enabling students to complete virtual dissections.

“I think what you guys will see as students is that these labs are going to be a total game-changer in terms of the teaching experience,” Dixit said. 

The new labs will also allow retention of small lab-section sizes and reduce the student-faculty ratio. After renovations to the unoccupied Rebstock space, the Biology Department will begin the hiring process for 6-8 new faculty members, whose research will be based in the old labs.

Jolley’s upgrades include gender-inclusive restrooms and a lactation room. 

Other upgrades include energy-efficient windows, new flooring and entry doors, motion-sensor lighting, energy-efficient HVAC rooftop equipment, and laboratory exhaust fans, with room to add capacity for more labs if the department expands. 

Sophomore Alma Mitchell took Principles of Biology last semester in Rebstock and is currently enrolled in a lab in Jolley. She said appreciated the new space, the new furniture, and the updated lab equipment — specifically, the microscopes she was able to use for her first lab back on campus. 

“It’s really nice, because they make you feel more professional,” Mitchell said.