On a cloudy, windswept October day, the Florida Tech community paused to remember the seven astronauts of the Space Shuttle Columbia, to reconnect to the university’s deep roots in America’s space program, and to focus on the future of space exploration.

The dedication of the Columbia Village residence hall complex marked the culmination of an idea that began in a Student Government Association meeting. The student-driven idea to name the complex after the Shuttle and dedicate each of the seven halls to each of Columbia’s astronauts —Col. Rick D. Husband, Commander William C. McCool, Capt. David M. Brown, Dr. Kalpana Chawla, Lt. Col. Michael P. Anderson, Capt. Laurel B. Clark, and Capt. Ilan Ramon was quickly approved by the Florida Tech administration. ... continued