|
|
New Chemistry/Biochemistry Building Opens
Construction of the new Chemistry and Biochemistry Building was completed in September, 2007, and researchers and staff started moving into the building in October. Project manager is Karen Hedglin. The building contains several unique features that provide some "beautiful moments," David Singel, Interim Department Head said. The main entrance is a three-story glass atrium that faces southeast toward the center of campus. The building also incorporates wood from the trees that were felled to make room for it. The table slated for use in the faculty conference room is one example. A tree ring from one of the oldest trees will hang in the atrium and highlight significant years in the history of MSU and the chemistry and biochemistry department.
"The labs are spectacular. That's the important thing," Mary Cloninger said from her new office. "For us, it's like paradise."
Devoted to research, the $23 million building houses offices, an intimate auditorium, informal gathering spots, and laboratories that will be used by faculty, graduate students and many undergraduate students, Singel said. The four-story building covers 89,613 square feet between Montana Hall and the Johnstone Center. Fourteen-foot ceilings accommodate ducts, water pipes and light fixtures.
Construction of the Chemistry and Biochemistry Building was funded completely without state funds. Laura Humberger, assistant vice president, financial services at MSU said, the university issued bonds to construct the building. Repayment is being made with Facilities and Administrative Indirect Cost Recoveries, derived from grant funding.
The building will help MSU fulfill both its educational and research missions, Singel continued. Undergraduates will learn lab techniques and basic lab principles in the instructional labs located in Gaines Hall. They will then have the opportunity to work on research projects in the new building.
"The research experience helps them make the transition from being net absorbers of knowledge to net emitters of knowledge," Singel said. "It is a fundamental component of undergraduate education at MSU."
Some of MSU's most distinguished researchers are working in the new building. Among them is Regents Professor Paul Grieco, former department head, and founding director of MSU's Center for the Discovery of Bio-Active Compounds. The Center for Bio-Inspired Nanomaterials -- an MSU collaboration involving Trevor Douglas and Mark Young -- has also moved into the building. The building contains labs for organic, inorganic, physical and biochemistry. It has shared facilities for fermentation, tissue culture, and protein crystal growth. It houses mass spectrometers, laser instruments, x-ray diffraction equipment, magnetic resonance spectrometers and more.
A groundbreaking ceremony for the Chemistry and Biochemistry Building was held in September 2005 with a cornerstone quoting the Greek philosopher Aristotle ("In all things of nature, there is something of the marvelous.") The building was designed by L'Heureux Page Werner, PC of Great Falls. It was built by Dick Anderson Construction of Great Falls.
Adjunct instructors and chemistry/biochemistry faculty whose primary responsibility is teaching will remain in Gaines Hall during the spring semester, Singel said. Gaines Hall continues to house classrooms and instructional labs. Renovations there will begin at the end of the spring semester.
An inaugural event to celebrate the newest building at Montana State University will be held graduation weekend, May 9 and 10, said David Singel, head of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry.
2007 Evelyn Boswell, MSU Office of Communications and Public Affairs
< Return To Home Page
|
|
