50@50: ‘Star Trek’ inspires Stocker AstroScience Center

To celebrate the university’s 50th anniversary, FIU News is sharing 50 moments in FIU’s history as part of our “50@50″ series.

By Joel Delgado ’12 MS ’17 

Captain Kirk and Spock would feel right at home in the Stocker AstroScience Center’s control room thanks to physics professor James Webb.

A huge “Star Trek” fan and a driving force in the creation of the new facility, Webb wanted the control room to resemble the bridge commonly seen in the popular science fiction franchise’s films and television series.

At first, Webb thought there would be resistance to his idea. But instead, he found he wasn’t the only ‘Trekkie’ on board with the plan.

For more information about the Stocker AstroScience Center, which opened its doors in 2013 with a fully equipped modern observatory and research center, read this FIU Magazine feature.