New Web site for SU Life Sciences Complex offers information on construction progress, planned research

New Web site for SU Life Sciences Complex offers information on construction progress, planned researchNovember 08, 2005Carol K. Masiclatclkim@syr.edu

To provide information on the Life Sciences Complex, Syracuse University’s largest and most ambitious construction project to date, The College of Arts and Sciences at SU has launched a newWeb site: http://lifesciences.syr.edu/main.html.

The site contains information on the facility’s innovative design and features, images of plans, information on research that will be conducted there and links to the biology, biochemistry and chemistry departments. Over the course of the construction, the site will post updates on the building’s progress. Construction will begin following groundbreaking, which is scheduled for 2006. The complex is planned to open in 2008.

The site will also feature news on developments within its two research themes: cell signaling and biocomplexity. The emerging area of cell signaling explores the communication between cells and how they function. Biocomplexity is a new research field that involves the study of the complex interactions-behavioral, biological, social, chemical and physical-between an organism and its environment. The site will also contain news on research, grants and projects within the life sciences departments.

“It is my pleasure to collaborate with the Office of Electronic Media Communications on a site that is dynamic and engaging,” says Rob Enslin, communications manager of The College of Arts and Sciences and project manager/content writer of the site. “Like the building it promotes, the site is a work in progress-one that speaks to the academic excellence of our life sciences program and the forward momentum of the college in general.”

With 210,000 square feet of space, the six-story L-shaped building will primarily serve academic programs in biology, biochemistry and chemistry. The new facility will be connected to the existing Center for Science and Technology (CST). CST houses several other academic programs, and is the location of the chemistry department and its research laboratories. For the first time in the history of SU, these sciences will be physically united in one location.

Among the distinguishing features of the building are its two wings dedicated to research and teaching, respectively. The research wing will contain biology labs, lab support offices, conference rooms and faculty offices. The teaching wing will provide biology and chemistry teaching labs, lecture halls and research greenhouses. An atrium, animated by the social activity of a cafe, will connect the complex to CST.

The completed complex will bring the biology and biochemistry departments (currently based in Lyman Hall) into one research facility adjacent to the chemistry research space. The convergence of the three departments will promote collaborative work and encourage interdisciplinary research and education. It will house modern research laboratories for biology faculty, teaching laboratories for chemistry and biology students and classrooms for the general University community.

At an estimated cost of $107 million, the Life Sciences Complex is SU’s largest, most highly capitalized construction project. Ellenzweig Associates, a national leader in science teaching and research facilities, is designing the project.

For more information on the Life Sciences Complex and its Web site, contact Enslin at rmenslin@syr.edu or 443-3403.