Detroit Catholic Central High School in Novi has opened its $61 million STEM Center, the George and Mary Turek Hall of Science.
The 57,000-square-foot learning space is a one-of-a-kind facility in southeast Michigan, according to the school, which prepares students for future STEM careers from aviation to manufacturing and sustainability, and more.
The facility houses multiple resources to ensure a completely immersive experience that is at par with top university facilities.
“Clearly our students will benefit from this incredible space,” says Jake Marmul, director of admissions and public relations at Catholic Central. “But we are truly excited to see what kind of impact we can have on the community by using this building — and the rest of our school — as a resource.
“From the start, we’ve looked at how we can leverage our teachers, parents, students, alumni, and resources to have a positive impact on our community. A lot of schools are blessed with STEM buildings, but we believe it’s the people, staff, and students who will be using this building that will make it a Catholic Central Hall of Science.”
The George and Mary Turek Hall of Science includes:
A 4-meter Observa-Dome with GPS computerized celestron telescope — The high-powered Celestron can view stars and celestial bodies at a previously unsurpassed distance with wide range view and will be used for space science and events, such as community star parties.
A 130-seat immersive theater and lecture hall — The immersive theater and lecture hall will be an impactful space for students and the community. It will function in a wide array of purposes, such as allowing students to actively view what is being seen through the Celestron telescope or create an audience space for viewing the school’s robotics or esports matches.
RedBird 180° flight simulator — Students will be able to use the RedBird FMX flight simulator, which is FAA approved, to practice during their ground school and gain flight hours toward their pilot’s license when partnered with a certified flight instructor.
Eight dedicated science laboratory classrooms — These multifunctional and modifiable classrooms function as both a laboratory and a classroom, as well as being able to open up the center of the room for experiments or demonstrations. These spaces were designed to leverage project-based learning and take advantage of collaborating on projects.
Engineering lab — The engineering lab has technology tables for each student with high resolution, oversized monitors and a dock for their laptop, giving them the tools they need to be successful. In this space, students will be using On-Shape and CAD to model for engineering, fabrication, and 3-D printing. The 12 industrial Bambu X1E 3D printers contained within the rooms Nanowall, as well as the four additional industry-standard multi-filament printers will make sure that our students and the community have access to the best equipment to make them more prepared for the future workforce.
Four versatile lab prep rooms — Taking inspiration from top colleges and universities, Catholic Central combined classrooms and laboratories into large, flexible, and interactive workspaces that encourage project-based learning.
FIRST Robotics competition field and building space — FIRST Robotics is rapidly growing, and Catholic Central students have shown a passion and ability to succeed at a global level. This 5,300-square-foot arena and build space provides them with an on-campus home for building, perfecting, and competing with their robots.
Robotics advanced manufacturing facility — Partner teams and organizations will have access to this space to build and practice with their robots, and scrimmages and kick-off events will help continue to grow FIRST in Michigan. This space also provides another gathering space for our community and friends.
Innovation and conceptualization labs — Spaces for brainstorming, prototyping, and using virtual and augmented reality to bring STEM ideas to life.
According to school officials, The George and Mary Turek Hall of Science is the cornerstone of a long-term plan to give Catholic Central world-class facilities, creating a top academic institution.
Catholic Central also is a NASA MIE Alliance partner, which provides learning resources enabling the school to prepare unique curriculum offerings, such as space sciences, aerospace, and aviation classes. In addition, Catholic Central will offer more traditional STEM courses including robotics, AP computer sciences, and STEM explorations.
The NASA MIE Alliance partnership gives the opportunity to invite the greater community to take part in activities and planetarium shows from NASA. The school plans to share its STEM facility with the community, and already has developed working relationships with Vista Maria and local Catholic elementary schools, with further partners in the works. Additional community activities will be developed and announced in the future.
