Suffolk Community College President, Dr. Edward Bonahue, debuted the Michael J. Grant Campus in Brentwood’s new STEM building on June 1— a project eight years in the making.
The building came as a result of SCC’s partnership with National Grid, a multinational safe energy company serving Long Island and surrounding areas. The STEM Center is named after this partnership as ‘The National Grid Center for Workforce and Energy Innovation.’
“This college is in the business of changing student’s lives. That is our mission as we open the renewable energy STEM Center today, this building is a lasting testimony of that mission,” said Dr. Bonahue, who is proud to open the center in light of a more sustainable and educational future.
The new $21.3 million building consists of a biology and support lab, Cybersecurity lab, multiuse labs for solar technology, and a conference room in addition to classrooms, meeting rooms and study spaces. The building supports an open symposium center with seating for 300 students.
“Living up to the word ‘renewable’ it’s in the name of the facility. This is a ‘Net Zero’ building,” said Melanie Littlejohn, the Vice President for Customer and Community Engagement of National Grid. “A ‘Net Zero’ building combines energy efficiency and renewable energy generation to consume as much energy as can be produced onsite with renewable resources.”
As a “Net Zero” building, the STEM center is one of only 700 such buildings in the world. The National Grid Center for Workforce and Energy Innovation is a groundbreaking example of Long Island’s efforts toward sustainability and the fight against climate change.
The building runs on 10 % electricity and does not have boilers or chillers. Its design includes horizontal sunshades on south-facing walls, aiming to block sunlight while still allowing natural light to enter. Solar panels cover the entire roof, and smart and mechanized fabric shades are used over the glazed openings to add more temperature control.
Suffolk Community College plans to continue their partnership with National Grid. During the unveiling of the new STEM building, the college also announced a new outdoor campus National Grid mural in close distance to the center.
“It’s about education, but ultimately, it’s about jobs,” said Legislator James Mazzarella, chair of the Education and Labor Committee. “When we bring education and jobs together, and bring the companies here, we add to economic growth. And that’s what it’s all about.”
As opportunities and careers in STEM continuously increase, SCC’s dedication to bettering its STEM studies is nothing short of opportune. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, there were approximately 10 million workers in STEM occupations in 2021. This number is projected to increase 11% in 2031, which is two times faster than the total for all occupations. STEM occupations are also known to have higher pay and opportunity for growth.
Bonahue, Supervisor Angie Carpenter, Legislator James Mazzarella, and Legislator Steve Flotteron
Local high school students from Central Islip, Brentwood and Bayshore were invited to join the ribbon cutting ceremony and event activities. The students were able to meet business leaders and elected officials, they watched scientific and robotic presentations, and spoke to panels about STEM related careers.
Just shy of one year ago, Suffolk was awarded a nearly $1.5 Million grant to aid low-income STEM students. The college offers 28 different STEM-related programs with offerings of grants, online courses, and certificates. The renewable energy STEM center will allow Suffolk to welcome more students interested in science, technology, engineering and mathematics with open arms.
The college’s partnership with National Grid welcomes the idea of bettering STEM education and future labor opportunities— for the students, by the students. The partnership came about from a group of students in the College Environmental Club who were seeking support for a demonstration project in solar energy last year. The students contacted the college foundation, as well as the leadership team at National Grid.
Concurrently, National Grid launched a community outreach education and grant program called ‘Project C.’ The program was dedicated to supporting communities in their areas of service. This connection created an innovative partnership and ongoing support between Suffolk Community College and National Grid that led to the opening of The National Grid Center for Workforce and Energy Innovation.
“This is the environment that creates innovation,” said Melanie Littlejohn of National Grid. “Go sharks!”
