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Construction of the new Hall of Science building at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) met a milestone as placement of the final steel beam was recognized by the traditional “topping out” ceremony at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 1.

Participants included CSULB President F. King Alexander, Acting Provost and Senior Vice President Donald Para and College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics Dean Laura Kingsford, along with representatives of the Hunt Construction Group.

The new 160,000-square-foot Hall of Science is slated to open in 2011 as home to the Departments of Geological Sciences, Physics and Astronomy, Science Education and the remaining portions of Biological Sciences and Chemistry and Biochemistry not housed in the Molecular and Life Sciences Center or the Microbiology Building. Funded by voter-approved state bonds, it will contain 22 research laboratories, 31 classroom labs, two 180-seat and two 80-seat lecture halls, as well as the Jensen Student Access to Science center, Science Learning Center museum and the college’s administration and technical facilities.

Topping out traditionally involves placing a small tree or branches at the top of a new building to honor nature for providing the natural resources for its construction.