Shelby Center

Originally constructed in 2007, the Shelby Center for Science and Technology was named for Senator Richard Shelby and his wife shortly after opening. Senator Richard Shelby continues to represent Alabama and advocates for the advancement of research and funding at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. The dedication took place in October of 2007. That year, the building opened for classes in various science departments including mathematics, biology, physics, and chemistry. To this day, it is still home to those scientific departments, providing all the resources, classrooms, and faculty and staff offices that those programs require.

The Shelby Center for Science and Technology was constructed in 2007, and during construction it was simply known as "the Applied Sciences Building."^[1] However, the board at the University of Alabama in Huntsville proposed a new name for the building in June of 2007, calling it the Richard C. and Annette N. Shelby Science and Technology Center, in honor of Sen. Richard Shelby and his wife. This ended up being its permanent name, as it was dedicated on the 14th of October.

Senator Shelby and his wife were chosen because in Senator Richard Shelby's long-term representation of Alabama in the Untied States Senate, he supported the state of Alabama, Huntsville, and UAH's progress in science and technology. He has notably supported the expansion and professional development of UAH throughout his time as senator. Therefore, representatives on the board sought to honor Senator Shelby and his wife.

The College of Science took quickly to the new building, making it home to the college the year it opened, and with the mathematics, biology, physics, and chemistry departments all moving into the center, some classes immediately, as per Dr. John Fix, dean of the College of Science at the Time:

Starting next semester, essentially all biology, math, introductory physics and chemistry classes will be taught in the Shelby Center. We may move a few classes to the Shelby Center later this semester.^[2]

In the construction of the Shelby Center, UAH not only wanted to provide dedicated room for the College of Science, but also wanted to create an environment that was better for students to learn in. Dr. Fix stated in regards to the environment:

The Shelby Center has new classrooms, auditoriums, teaching labs, research labs and offices. On the first floor there is a very, very large student study area with soft seating looking out over the rear courtyard.^[3]

The construction allowed for better teaching of some subjects, such as state of the art physics laboratories. The lecture and lab classes could in some cases be merged into a single class now. This allowed for students to immediately experiment with and observe what they were being taught. This kind of development supported UAH's position as a leading research university for science and engineering.

Tragically, the building was the site of a shooting in 2010. UAH biology professor, Amy Bishop, who had been denied tenure, shot and killed three of her colleagues, injuring three others, at a biological sciences department meeting. Those killed were Gopi Podilla, chairman of the department, Maria Ragland Davis, associate professor, and Adriel D. Johnson Sr., associate professor. Those injured were Luis Rogelio Cruz-Vera, Joseph G. Leahy, professors, and Stephanie Monticciolo, staff assistant. A memorial in the biological sciences office and a garden in the greenway were put up in their honor in 2020 for the five year anniversary. Bishop is imprisoned Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women in Wetumpka, Alabama.

The Shelby Center was considered a groundbreaking new structure on the UAH campus, allowing science classes and departments to operate in an environment suited to their needs. It allowed the College of Science to introduce new programs and departments, and even introduce entirely new classes within departments. To this day, it still holds most of the science departments and its classrooms host many science courses. Within the structure are labs, classrooms, and faculty and staff offices to support the College of Science.

^{[2] [3]} Dean, Emma. "Upcoming Changes in the College of Science." Exponent (Huntsville) September 12th 2007. 39 ed, 3 sec.2.

The University of Alabama in Huntsville. "Campus Calendar." Exponent (Huntsville) October 10th 2007. 39 ed, 5 sec.2.

^[1] Wright, Brian. "Board Raises UAH Tuition." Exponent (Huntsville) June 20th 2007. 38 ed, 6 sec.1.