Graduate Catalog 2010-12

School of Arts and Sciences Centers

The Copernican Planetarium and Observatory (Copernicus Hall) includes a full-function, optical planetarium, which seats 108 people and is used for classes and programs for the community. The observatory, located on the roof of Copernicus Hall, is used for astronomical instruction for Physics and Earth Sciences classes. It also supports student research in astronomical photography and observation using a modern 16-inch Casegrain reflector and other telescopes.

The Copernicus Science Computing Laboratory, located in the Francis J. Rio Interdisciplinary Science Center (Copernicus 227), serves the faculty and students in the natural and physical sciences. The Computing Lab houses 20 networked PCs and Macs, as well as two laser printers, two inkjet printers, a scanner and a multimedia projector.

The Institute for Science Education, coordinated by the Department of Biological Sciences, offers summer courses for middle, junior high, and high school science teachers. Science faculty and students work with middle and secondary school teachers on topics to enhance pre-college science preparation and encourage students to pursue careers in science.

The Multimedia Language Learning Center (Barnard 336) provides students with state-of-the-art technology for language study and cultural enrichment. The lab is equipped with audio, film, video and laser disc technology and a scanner, as well as web-capable computers for interactive learning.

The Polish Studies Center (DiLoreto 208-23) was established in an effort to foster within both the Polish-American and the American communities an awareness of Poland's culture, history, and civilization. In 1997 Connecticut's first, and New England's second, Endowed Chair in Polish and Polish-American Studies was established at CCSU. The Polish Studies Center offers courses in Polish history, politics, culture and civilization, language, and the Polish community in America. The Center's other resources include the Polish Heritage Book Collection, the Connecticut Polish-American Archive, the Annual Fiedorczyk Lecture in Polish-American Studies, the Milewski Polish Studies lecture, the Godlewski Evening of Polish Culture, educational materials for teachers, movies, exhibits and scholarship aid for Polish-American students and for students pursuing Polish Studies.

The Weather Center is a fully functional weather forecasting facility, including a satellite downlink to the National Weather Service, computer data retrieval capability, color weather radar and satellite access. It supports forecasting for the University community as well as faculty and student research in the atmospheric sciences.

The Writing Center (Willard 305) provides one-to-one tutorials and small-group workshops to help members of the CCSU community improve their writing in areas such as drafting compositions, preparing research papers and taking essay exams. Appointments for tutorials are available Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. by calling 860-832-2765.