SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- The building of the Cairn is an annual event at Syracuse University. It's a Scottish form of tribute, in memory of the 35 students who died in the skies above Lockerbie, Scotland.

"This memorial that we're building is particularly relevant to that geography because it's a traditional Scottish memorial, so that is where this form stems from," said Samantha Harmon, a senior remembrance scholar.

Each year a week is dedicated to those lost on Pan Am Flight 103, however it doesn't coincide with the date of the bombing, which was December 21st, 1988. The reason is due to the college being on holiday break.

"The university decided to do this at a time when everybody would be here to really commemorate the victims," said Melanie Hicken, a senior remembrance scholar.

With December being the twentieth anniversary, the college wants to make sure that current students are aware of what took place.

"I was only one or two years old when this happened. Freshmen here weren't even born, so part of this for us is with things like that it's trying to tell people that this did happen, and it's also a time for reflection," said Hicken.

With the completion of the cairn, students will have a place to remember and pay tribute to those lost twenty years ago.

The memorial cairn will remain on campus until Friday.