Pritzker Science Center
The Milton Academy Science Department values student-driven scientific exploration at its core, and the Pritzker Science Center was built with that in mind.
Every day, Pritzker is filled with students doing science, both during their class time and independently as a part of the Open Lab program. The large, open lab spaces with expansive glass walls allow visitors a view into the active and energetic work of Milton’s Upper and Middle School Science students, and also provide opportunities for oversight and guidance from faculty who can easily see what students are working on.
In addition to the four designated Open Lab spaces, Pritzker’s classrooms serve as active laboratories and are fully equipped for the scientific discipline taught in these spaces. Students move seamlessly between discussion around the Harkness table to their experimental work and back again to discuss results. This vibrant, hands-on environment supports the department’s “learning by doing” philosophy, as students engage with discrepant events to challenge their previously held understandings of the world or investigate a phenomena new to them to expand their horizons.
The intentional design of the building which features visibility between the lab spaces fosters the development of partnerships between faculty members who see colleagues trying something new. Likewise, students also develop curiosity about what peers might be learning in other labs. Most importantly, the design facilitates student independence so that teachers truly become guides in the learning.
A gift of the Pritzker family, the award-winning science center is a prominent example of Milton’s commitment to sustainability. Constructed primarily of locally sourced and recycled materials, it opened in 2010 and was dedicated in 2011.
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