94 - friday

there are two main libraries on campus: the rock and the sci li (sciences library).   during the school year, the basement of the sci li is open 24/7 (I may have had a few sleepovers there during the peak of thesis writing).  it's fun, social, and the space is designed to encourage active collaboration.  it can also be wildly distracting if you're trying to just hunker down and get some reading done.  for that, there is the rock.  the rock is the humanities research library.  it's quiet, gets lots of natural light, and has more of a classic-library feel.  it's one of my favorite places on campus.  yes, I'm a nerd.

the rest of the sci li is a cold cement tower looming over campus.  the floors are filled with metal stacks of science books.  the "corrals" are tiny, unbalanced wooden desks with uncomfortable molded-plastic chairs reminiscent of a high school cafeteria.  you could not pay me to study there.

oh, so what's the magical place in today's pictures?  yeah.  apparently in my year between graduation and re-enrolling as a grad student, brown gutted the third floor and turned it into the "science center."  there are SIX group study rooms.  smart boards.  open meeting space.  a conference room.  a research presentation lab.  computer stations.  programmable thermostats.  beautiful, self-contained corrals with comfortable, ergonomic chairs.  A KITCHEN.  I think my reaction to this stunning transformation scared my research teammates a bit.

I am going to be mighty sad when the undergrads come back in the fall and I can no longer use this place at my leisure.  (psst.  you can find me here in some capacity every day this coming week until our final report is complete.)