The Robert Paine Scripps Forum for Science, Society, and the Environment

Seaside Forum Completion

The Start of Something Great

A much needed state-of-the-art conference center opens its doors

For Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego, there was much to celebrate even after the holidays. The campus' highly anticipated Robert Paine Scripps Forum for Science, Society, and the Environment, also known as the Scripps Seaside Forum, is was completed at the beginning of March 2009.

The new forum is a cutting-edge teaching and conference center located just south of the Scripps Pier overlooking the Pacific Ocean. It makes Scripps the epicenter for bringing together the brightest minds to tackle some of the greatest scientific challenges faced today.

"It truly is an ocean retreat," said Cammie Ingram, director of Scripps Capital Programs and Space. "People can come to learn, interact, and relax while still being part of the everyday life of the Scripps campus."

The Scripps Seaside Forum was built on the former site of the Scripps Machine Shop and Surfside student center to accommodate the growing number of scientific conferences and events Scripps hosts each year and to provide the very latest in audio-visual technology. Prior to it's completion, the only auditorium on campus was Sumner Auditorium, built in 1960, which has limited space and lacks the equipment to meet the needs of modern scientific meetings.

The building includes modern touches such as a high definition and 3-D projection system as well as user-friendly touch screens that control all aspects of the A-V system, including projection equipment, sound systems, wireless microphones, lighting, and curtains. Four adjoining meeting rooms also feature touch-panel controls and are each equipped with HD flat-panel screens and wireless digital networks.

Aside from technological advancements, the Scripps Seaside Forum is also an example of UC San Diego's commitment to sustainability. The entire facility is designed with energy efficiency in mind, landscaping consists of drought-tolerant vegetation, carpet is made from recycled material, and all of the teak used on the interior and exterior is plantation-grown. The Scripps Seaside Forum was awarded LEED Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council in August 2009.

"This facility is the showroom for not only Scripps, but for UC San Diego and La Jolla," said Ingram.

Graduate students also have reason to rejoice: they are now able to enjoy their new and improved oceanfront retreat, the Revelle Family Student Center. A significant upgrade in structure and convenience from the old Surfside, this new hangout located at the southern end of the complex is run entirely by graduate students who enjoyed the facility's inaugural TGIF party in late February. The traditional weekly Scripps get-together had taken place at Surfside since the 1960s.

The new state-of-the-art facility hosted a soft opening with a donor preview event on Jan. 31. This was an opportunity for members of the Scripps family along with other donors whose private gifts were responsible for almost all the funding to complete the building to enjoy the facility and have an intimate tour. The Roger Revelle 100th birthday celebration events, which honored the former Scripps director March 5 through March 7, will marked the facility's official opening.

—Caitlin Denham

February 2009