Iowa State is set to welcome officially its newest lecture hall on campus.

On Friday, Troxel Hall, home to a high-tech lecture classroom, will have its dedication ceremony.

“It’s a great place to teach, and I think it’s a great place to learn,” said Patricia Thiel, distinguished professor of chemistry.

Thiel is the John D. Corbett professor of chemistry and will be one of the main speakers at the ceremony, alongside President Steven Leath and two members of the Troxel family.

“I’ll be talking about what we can do in Troxel that we couldn’t do otherwise,” Thiel said. “What a wonderful facility it is overall.”

Thiel teaches Chemistry 167 in the new classroom.

A big part of the ceremony will be a demonstration of the technology housed in Troxel Hall.

“Because one of the unique features is … the technology that was incorporated, they thought it would be good to demonstrate it,” said Karen Simon, with ISU Foundation Communications.

The lecture hall, which takes up the largest amount of space in the new building, uses technology to enhance the students’ learning experience.

Thiel said the hall features a special room outside the class used for preparing demonstrations, split smart-screen capabilities and more.

“It’s got so much high-tech stuff,” Thiel said.

In addition to new tech-based teaching methods, the room is also spacious and has swiveling seats that make it easier for students to do group work.

“It takes a really large class, and to some extent gives it the ambiance of a much smaller classroom, in my opinion,” Thiel said.

Troxel Hall was built thanks in part to a $5 million donation by the Change Happens Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded by the Troxel family.

Doug Troxel, CEO of the Change Happens Foundation and an ISU alumnus, and Michael Troxel, Doug’s son and vice president of administration, will also speak at the dedication.

“We’re grateful to the Troxel family for making this happen and to the state of Iowa for their funding,” Thiel said. “We really needed this building.”

The dedication ceremony will begin at 3 p.m. in Troxel Hall.