The newly-constructed Physical Sciences and Technology building is truly a sight for sore eyes.

But do the artistic features have any scientific merit?

Getting beyond face value, the educational purposes of some of the architectural decisions made must have been lost in translation.

What is so disappointing about the exterior features of this new building?

The subtle design of a dated solar system model is painted in the concrete in the east plaza, based on an historically accurate but factually broken concept.

For reasons that are possibly unexplainable, those who undertook this task chose the Tychonic model of our solar system, formulated by the brilliant astronomer Tycho Brahe back in the 16th century.

It’s a geocentric model, placing the Earth at the center for the Sun to revolve around instead of vice versa.

Kudos to Tycho for his work but he had an excuse; he lived in the 16th century.

There is no excuse for this choice of decor, but that isn’t the only problem with the new building.

The east plaza also features a sun dial that, when observed, isn’t even close to depicting the right time of day.

A seating arrangement of stone slabs in the east plaza spell out four mathematical equations with morse code.

Honestly? Morse code?

This is an SOS to all Cerritos students; it would be in our best interests to petition for the building to be outfitted with an observatory.

In our March 2 issue’s story, psychology major Nasreen Sarvi said, “I think the money used for those things would have been a lot better for something like an observatory for the building.”

Rio Hondo has one. Astronomy and physics students will flock there as they scoff at Cerritos’ feeble attempt to attract them with building aesthetics.

According to El Paisano, Rio Hondo’s newspaper publication, its telescope is four inches larger than the scope at the Griffith Park Observatory, coming in at sixteen inches.

Give students something practical, and dazzle them with fancy designs later. 

Don’t expect students to play Indiana Jones and work to solve these riddles and puzzles, because the frontier of science isn’t being explored through sun dials, morse code, or geocentric systems.

The frontier of science is dependent upon pilgrims venturing into the unknown, so give them something real to solve.

With an observatory, even the newcomer astronomer can make a monumental discovery.

Give these students the opportunity, and Cerritos could be rewarded with a cosmic breakthrough.

Stick with outdated concepts about the nature our of universe, then don’t be surprised when you receive what you give: bad science.