The St. Joseph School District has plans to celebrate the grand opening of its new state-of-the-art science addition at Hillyard Technical Center.

Hillyard is hosting a ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday, Feb. 10 at 1 p.m. to celebrate the completion of the Advanced Science Research Center.

According to a news release, the two-story addition includes science laboratory space, two classrooms, commons and lounge spaces on both levels as well as a new secure entry and reception office. The labs will be used by students from Benton, Central and Lafayette. The facility will host the district’s advanced science classes.

“All students will be exposed to the 18 programs Hillyard offers for its students. Many of these offerings are in high demand,” said Dennis Merritt, Hillyard Technical Center director.

The Advanced Science Research Center is designed to enhance teaching in science, technology, engineering and math while preparing students for the workforce.

“The Advanced Science Research Center will help students explore their interest in life sciences at a critical juncture in their lives – when college and career choices loom,” said Dr. Bernd Eichenmeuller, vice president of operations at Boehringer Ingelheim. “We hope that the access, experiences, and resources the center provides these students enhances their interest in careers at companies such as ours, which is creating cutting-edge medicines and technologies for the animal health industry.”

As we previously reported, plans for the center have been in the works since 2013. Crews broke ground on construction in September of 2015.