McQuaid Jesuit celebrated the grand opening of the Wegman Family Science Technology Center Wednesday night.
Construction of the 36,000 square foot building began in October 2016, costing $16 million.
Tim Nally, Vice President of Enhancement at McQuaid said Jesuit education is based in the liberal arts, so adding a focus on technology is something new.
"Not many schools make the step that we are for a building with this kind of capability. So for us, it’s transformational in that we've stepped beyond the traditional reading and writing and we've complemented it with a layer of technology."
The new wing will have computer labs, and designated room for robotics teams; as well as campus ministry rooms and other collaborative spaces.
Nally says with young men leaning towards careers in the STEM fields, they wanted to be an attractive option for kids who also still wanted a Jesuit education.
The space will open for classes in January after the Christmas holiday.
"We've got the fundamentals of chemistry and biology. We will also move into some more advanced stuff as the curriculum grows: biodiversity, green engineering."
Nally said its surprising how many of the students have already expressed interests in these fields. They also have plans to include software engineering and gaming.
McQuaid has partnered with both the University of Rochester and Rochester Institute of Technology to develop the center.