“Wellesley College is proud of our record educating the highest numbers of women who go on to receive Ph.D.s in STEM fields among our liberal arts peers,” said President Paula A. Johnson at the official opening of Wellesley’s new Science Complex on Oct. 3, at a panel focused on breaking down gender barriers in STEM education.

Reshma Kewalramani, president and CEO of Vertex Pharmaceuticals, delivered the keynote, followed by a panel discussion that included Dana Im ’10, director of quality and safety, department of emergency medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School, and Nergis Mavalvala ’90, professor of astrophysics and dean of the MIT School of Science.

Designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, the complex is the most significant building project in Wellesley’s history, with nearly 100,000 square feet of new teaching and research facilities. Colin Koop, design partner at SOM, worked with multiple campus partners—including students—on the project. They envisioned “a village for collaboration,” he said.

Johnson said the new complex will “allow us to strengthen our commitment to educating the next generation of inclusive STEM leaders by creating a collaborative hub for teaching and research where students, faculty, and staff can discover and learn together.” She asked panelists what advice they had for STEM students. Im counseled them to eschew imposter syndrome. “We all have assets that are valuable,” she said. “You belong here!”