New chemistry benches expand enrollment capacity for chemistry courses

New chemistry benches expand enrollment capacity for chemistry courses

10/6/2026

A chemistry professor in a lab coat at the front of a lab by a screen speaking to a classroom of students seated at new chemistry lab benches.

Students sit at the new lab benches in the SC250 chemistry lab in the Science Building.

A chemistry professor points to a beaker while two students in goggles and lab coats look on.

Dr. Sahena Ferdosh, assistant professor of chemistry, instructs two students in the SC250 chemistry lab.

A wide-angle view of a chemistry lab showing many students in lab coats working at different stations.

Students use the lab benches in side A of the SC250 classroom. The lecture side of the classroom has also now been outfitted with lab benches, expanding the capacity for lab classes by 18 students.

Two students in lab coats add a liquid to a beaker at a chemistry lab bench station.

Two students add a substance to a beaker during their Inorganic Chemistry lab in September 2026.

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Over the summer, the SC250 chemistry lab in the Science Building under the University of Guam’s College of Natural & Applied Sciences got an upgrade in furniture as well as seating capacity. The upgrade now increases the Chemistry Program’s teaching capacity for labs from 24 to 42 students.

The 3,000-square-foot lab, which was built as an addition to the Science Building in 2020, is divided by a partition that creates two spaces: One side houses three lab benches and lockers accommodating 24 students, and the other side was previously furnished with standard tables and chairs for lectures and pre- and post-laboratory discussions. The upgrade replaced the standard tables with three new laboratory benches and lockers so that both sides can now be used for lab in addition to lecture.

“This renovation will relieve the pressure of limited lab space in the Chemistry Program, which means we can increase the cap in our General Chemistry offering. It also exposes our students to an inspiring modern laboratory space,” said Rachael Leon Guerrero, dean of the college.

Enrollment is expected to grow in General Chemistry (CH-102), in particular, with a rising interest in engineering among students and the expansion of the School of Engineering’s programs, which require the course. The B.S. in Construction Management program just kicked off this semester as well as a 2+2 transfer pathway for a mechanical engineering degree from University of Hawaii at Manoa. A second mechanical engineering transfer pathway is in the works with Colorado School of Mines, and a B.S. in Electrical Engineering is on the horizon for 2027.

The upgrade was completed by Hebron Construction with funding from ASTRO America in support of the university’s engineering programs. Through the funding, the Chemistry Program also received funding to add one full-time chemistry faculty member.