Northern Arizona University – Dr. James R. Carruthers Research & Education Building @ AWC

The Northern Arizona University-Yuma campus at Arizona Western College is a partnership that provides NAU with an opportunity to provide distance education for students in the lower Colorado River Region. The Dr. James R. Carruthers Research & Education Building includes a classroom, a Geographic Information System lab, a natural history lab, an ecology lab, a molecular technology lab as well as other research support spaces and offices. The scope for this project included the design of audiovisual systems with associated supporting infrastructure, acoustics, noise & vibration control and telecommunications cabling systems with associated supporting infrastructure. Educational technology systems included audiovisual presentation and recording, speech reinforcement, custom “smart” presenter’s lecterns, complete specifications for all audiovisual & multimedia systems, and abilities to present video based or computer generated presentations via LCD projection systems. All lecture and lab spaces have significant technology infrastructure to support state-of-the-art teaching equipment and methods. The technology in these spaces supports NAU biology and environmental science faculty and students as they conduct research in areas that include Sonoran Desert ecology, botany, cellular and molecular biology and human physiology. The building also will house advanced technologic equipment, including a DNA sequencer and a polymerase chain reaction cabinet, which are used to conduct cellular and molecular research. The scope of this project commenced at the schematic design phase and construction was completed in the March 2009.

Architect: Gould Evans

Location: Yuma, Arizona

Construction Cost: $5 Million

Project Size: 12,225 gsf