Planning is underway for the long-anticipated construction of a new learning center that will be a part of the U.S. National Science Foundation campus in Socorro, New Mexico.
Just under $1.8 million in state capital outlay funding has been secured for the construction of what is officially called the Next Generation Learning Center at the Socorro site.
In a statement, Barb Gruber, assistant director of education and public outreach with the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, said the new center will be a “transformative hub for education in New Mexico.”
That hub, added Gruber, will connect “our communities to the universe of discovery made possible through radio astronomy.”
The focus of the center, which is ultimately expected to cost around $22 million to build, is to help advance learning in science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics, otherwise known as STEAM.
The center will specifically be built at the site of the Very Large Array, which became operational in 1980. The Very Large Array is a radio telescope made up of 27 large antennas, each weighing around 230 tons.
A resolution approved by the Socorro County Commission in 2022 pointed out that not only will the Next Generation Learning Center be devoted to K-12 education, but teachers via “professional development opportunities and curriculum resources.”
In announcing the New Mexico funding for the project, it was noted that it is part of a larger effort to “provide Socorro County and surrounding rural areas with access to cutting-edge resources, interactive exhibits, and educational programming designed to spark curiosity and lifelong learning.”
The new center is being developed under the auspices of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, which itself belongs to the U.S. National Science Foundation. An exact construction schedule for the facility has not yet been announced.
July 21, 2025
By Garry Boulard
