It’s stupid early in the morning. I’ve just dragged myself out of bed, clammered onto a frigid bicycle while clutching a thermos coffee for warmth and psychological comfort and pedaled down a deserted University Avenue to the University of Wisconsin chemistry building for a morning lab.  

The laboratory is crowded and noisy, and we spend a substantial amount of time waiting in line to collect dry samples of compounds and test tubes of concentrated acids and bases. Eventually we begin the experiment. Chemistry is as close as physical science comes to mimicking magic, and a sudden, colorful chemical reaction is a sight to behold. 

Unfortunately, such beautiful reactions can generate toxic fumes, and the acidic solutions they take place in can cause chemical burns on contact. As I recall, all of this experimentation was taking place on an exposed table, and I remember looking over at whispy fumes coming from an open beaker on an electric hot plate thinking, “That group just mixed ammonia and hydrochloric acid. … That must be chlorine gas. … Didn’t they use that in World War I, as a chemical weapon”? Obviously, there was nothing I could do other than remind my lab neighbors they should probably cover the beaker immediately – I had to finish the experiment and complete the lab, even if I was concerned about the noxious gas diffusing throughout the room. 

Whether or not we choose to fret about it, science labs can be dangerous. 

Any undergraduate science major at the UW quickly learns that being around potentially hazardous chemicals is an inevitable part of passing general and organic chemistry. Students learn to be careful in the lab, but they also learn to ignore potential health hazards because it’s hard to focus on carrying out an accurate and precise experiment while plagued by a paranoid phobia of toxic fumes – even if this concern is justified. 

Chemistry students at the UW shouldn’t have to deal with the unnecessary risks associated with labs that are overcrowded, out of date and lacking such standard safety equipment as fume hoods in order to complete their degrees. 

Fortunately, the university realizes this. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that the UW Board of Regents has proposed a long-overdue renovation of Madison’s chemistry facilities, which will include a new tower for labs with modern fume hoods and new electrical, plumbing and ventilation systems. The expansion, which has an estimated price tag of $103.5 million, would also increase the total amount of laboratory space, allowing the department to handle decades of increasing enrollment. It provides a much-needed solution to the chronic problems that students face each year – full lectures, crowded early morning labs and concerns of laboratory safety. 

Chemistry truly is the central science; it describes the way in which microscopic interactions of atoms and molecules determine the macroscopic behavior of matter. Its explanation of the fundamental building blocks of nature is the foundation for modern science, engineering and medicine. Because of this, chemistry is one of the most popular classes at the UW and is a prerequisite for a wide variety of majors. One could argue sitting in a massive general chemistry lecture and carving some initials into the wooden desk is as much of a quintessential UW experience as Badger football or a pitcher of Oberon on the Terrace. 

The UW is right – in improving the education that this university offers, updating the chemistry labs is the right place to start. Hopefully, the Wisconsin Building Commission and Gov. Scott Walker, who still have to approve the proposed renovation, feel the same way.

Charles Godfrey ([email protected]) is a junior majoring in physics and math.