On Thursday, Aug. 1, Palm Beach State College President Ava L. Parker welcomed Kevin O’Farrell, chancellor for the Florida Department of Education’s Division of Career and Adult Education, to the Loxahatchee Groves campus so that he could learn more about the campus’s key workforce programs.
During the visit, O’Farrell toured the new 83,500-square-foot, four story Dental & Medical Services Technology Building under construction.
Joining them on the tour was Executive Dean Kimberly Lancaster; Health and Medical Innovations Director Ed Willey; James Storm, PBSC’s architect and assistant facilities planning manager overseeing the project, and the project team from Kaufman Lynn Construction.
O’Farrell, a Palm Beach County native, got an up-close look at the building’s cutting-edge laboratories taking shape. He also visited an existing classroom at the Loxahatchee Groves campus, equipped with an Anatomage Table, the highly advanced 3D anatomy visualization and virtual dissection system for anatomy and physiology education.
O’Farrell shared in his excitement for this addition to the campus, as it will provide the central and western communities with a fully equipped dental clinic, a surgical technology suite, and science labs that incorporate cutting-edge equipment and technology for students pursuing careers as dental hygienists, dental assistants, surgical technologists and other healthcare occupations.
The building is set to open in February of next year with classes starting fall 2025.
“I’m incredibly impressed by the scope of the project and its ambitious use of cutting-edge technology, which will really benefit students,” O’Farrell said.
During the visit, PBSC science professor Dr. Vetaley Stashenko demonstrated how the Anatomage Table enables students to visualize any organ in detail from a CT scan instead of an actual physical cadaver. Students are then able to print out a 3D structure of the organ, offering an unprecedented level of real anatomical accuracy. “It is so important for our students to not only visualize anatomy, but it is the ability to touch it that really brings learning to life,” Stashenko said.
O’Farrell shared in PBSC’s excitement for the new facilities at Loxahatchee Groves. “The fact that students have access to these kinds of innovative resources is what really will make the difference in their education,” he said.
