The Science and Space Center was the focus of a press conference Wednesday morning with California Rep. Doris Matsui, D-Sacramento, at Sacramento Hall.

Matsui described the projected designs of the building and the benefits that it would bring to Sacramento State and the surrounding areas.

The new building will contain an observatory with solar and astronomical telescopes, high-volume lab servers, and a hands-on science exploration center for Sac State students and students in the community.

“I am very excited to see the initial concepts for Sacramento State’s new Science and Space Center and planetarium,” Matsui said. “They demonstrate the energizing directions Sacramento State is going in and its commitment to education.”

Matsui also told how she and her late husband, Rep. Robert Matsui, helped to get $1.5 million for the project — $950,000 of which was granted from the California Assembly a few weeks ago.

ChienYuan Hu, a former Sac State physics professor, willed a portion of his endowment towards the center after his death in 2002.

Royal Vanderberg, a physics and astronomy professor, also left $200,000 to Sac State for the planetarium fund.

The Science and Space Center was originally projected at $8 million, but at her press conference, Matsui said that the building would cost $10 million.

Associated Students Inc. President Angel Barajas said that students will not have to pay for the center through their tuition fees.

Marion O’Leary, the dean of the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, said the reason for the $2 million increase is that the Science and Space Center was a larger project than what was first thought. He said the cost will not be definite until the design is completely finished and construction is set to begin.

O’Leary and Randy Phelps, who is a professor in the Astronomy and Physics Department, teamed up four years ago to come up with the idea of the new space center.

“Our goal is to teach students astronomy and to get them interested in other types of sciences,” Phelps said. “The Science and Space Center will entice students to come to Sac State.”

The estimated start of construction for the Science and Space Center will be in the spring of 2007, according to O’Leary. The center will be to the west of Shasta Hall and an entry plaza will face the residential halls.

O’Leary said one of the problems that the design team of the center is working on is the path from the residential halls to the campus. As the design is arranged now, students walking from the dormitories would have to walk around the center to get to classes. This problem will be solved by the time that construction begins in early 2007.

“This is a wonderful idea,” said Kelly Larsen, a senior liberal studies major. “It will be good for the community and for the school. It will also bring in younger students to our campus.”

Jamie Gonzales can be reached at [email protected]