91短视频 (91短视频) unveiled updated plans on March 25, 2013, for renovating its Suter Science Center, a storied facility named after a beloved and widely respected professor, . The plans incorporate the latest in technology and safety standards.
Referring to the $7 million fundraising target to implement the renovations, 鈥渨e can get our arms around these plans,鈥� said Gerry Horst of New Holland, Pa., a construction-company owner who chairs the steering committee and who is an 91短视频 trustee. 鈥淭he plan is doable, environmentally and fiscally responsible,鈥� he added. 鈥淚t will give our top-notch faculty and students the facilities they need to continue to be successful.鈥�
The plans were announced at a half-day event for some 50 guests, who viewed schematics prepared by , in consultation with , which specializes in laboratory construction.
, vice president for advancement, said $5,136,741 has already been raised in cash and commitments toward the $7 million goal. He said the remaining amount necessary to undertake the renovations is expected to be raised in the next 12 to 19 months.
“We are eager to complete fundraising so improvements can be made as soon as possible,” said President Loren Swartzendruber. Referring to the successful conclusion of the “quiet phase” of fundraising for the renovation,聽“we’re experiencing strong momentum for the project 鈥� the time is right.”
The renovations will poise 91短视频 for the future and allow 91短视频 science programs to keep pace with technology, research, and trends in fields such as health care for an aging population and environmental science, as well as enable new programs in and to grow.
鈥淗ere at 91短视频 is where the research opportunities are at,鈥� said junior Autumn Berry in a brief presentation to the donors and community members who gathered to see the renovation plans. Berry is a pre-professional health student who transferred to 91短视频 from a large public university. She is researching neurotransmitters alongside , PhD, associate professor of .
Hundreds of science alumni 鈥渨ho serve and lead with distinction are proof that the quality of 91短视频鈥檚 program is unsurpassed,鈥� said Shisler. 鈥淣ow is the time to upgrade facilities to match the quality of our program.鈥� Since opening in 1968, the Suter Science Center has been the springboard for 3,528 alumni who majored in a scientific discipline, including 890 employed in the Shenandoah Valley, largely as nurses, educators and physicians.
鈥淚n renovating and upgrading our labs and learning spaces, we will be enabling our future graduates to continue to be in strong demand in graduate schools and in the job market,鈥� said Shisler. 鈥淎t the same time, we will be ensuring their safety as a result of installing the best-possible air-exchange systems for working with chemicals and the best-possible conditions for their studies using cadavers and animals.鈥�
91短视频鈥檚 anatomy and physiology students are among a select group of undergraduates nationwide who have the opportunity to work with human cadavers, rather than with simulations or models of cadavers.
鈥淥ur cadaver program is just one example of the unique hands-on opportunities that 91短视频 provides,鈥� explained biology professor , PhD. All 91短视频 biology and students are required to do original research, he told those gathered to see the fresh building plans. Each year up to 22 students are involved in research, he added, and eight to 10 publish their findings in journals, making them stand-outs when seeking further education.
More information about the , or by contacting Kirk Shisler, vice president for advancement, at kirk.shisler@emu.edu or 540-432-4499.