Sen. Reed says CBLS will train next generation

01/27/09 - The new Center for Biotechnology and Life Sciences at the University of Rhode Island officially opened yesterday with a ribbon cutting ceremony.Onlookers clutched biodegradable programs, crowded into the ground floor lobby or watched from landings on the central staircase, a spiral intended to evoke the DNA helix, as URI President Robert L. Carothers cut a bow from the second floor railing.

Prior to the ceremony, a succession of university and state officials addressed an auditorium packed with more than 300 members of the URI faculty and staff, as well as representatives of private corporations and, occasionally, students.

Vice President of Administration Robert Weygand was the master of ceremonies, introduced speakers and praised the building's features and construction.

Rhode Island Gov. Donald Carcieri was among the speakers, extolling the building's virtues and the commitment it represents.

"This is the anchor for what we are doing here at the university," Carcieri said. "I believe that this campus is going to be the focus and the driver for an important part of the economic interests of the state as a whole."

According to Carcieri, the center will also serve as a symbol of commitment and growth.

"It's a stake in the ground saying that we are serious.about research, we are serious about being a leader in biotechnology and life sciences," he said.

Also in attendance were United States Sens. Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse, as well as Congressman Jim Langevin, all of whom Weygand said are staunch supporters of higher education.

Reed called the center a great example of what he described as a necessary partnership between public universities and private institutions, and spoke of the necessity of education.

"This is a win, win, win," Reed said. "We're putting people to work, we're training the next generation of workers for the jobs of the future, not the past, and finally we're building a building that will not demand the kind of energy resources that we can no longer afford."

The center is designed for sustainability, with a variety of energy-saving features that Weygand said would save the university $150,000 per year in utilities, while substantially reducing its environmental impact.

Carothers thanked the legislators and voters who helped to pass the $50 million state bond, which largely financed the building's construction, and praised corporate donors to the project, including Amgen, Pfizer, Genzyme and CVS.

Carothers referred to the building as a newborn baby, full of potential, a metaphor he extended to other campus projects currently underway or slated for the future as part of a master plan to develop and improve the northern part of the campus.

He closed his speech with a reminder that further funding, in the range of $5 million dollars, was needed to complete the fourth floor of the center, which remains an unfinished shell.

Following the ribbon cutting ceremony, audience members were encouraged to take self-guided tours of the new center, which has been open for classes since the start of the semester.

Sophomore sociology major Brittni Sullivan, who plans to switch majors to biology, was looking for a classroom amid the crowd of visitors.

The building is an improvement over the Biological Sciences Center (BISC) where she previously took classes, Sullivan said.

"This building is really nice, I was actually just telling my friend about it and I said 'I have to take you there some time, it's so nice,'" Sullivan said. "They're always making improvements here."

Sophomore Joshua Hornoff also expressed approval of the center, although he described some small flaws, including whiteboards that wouldn't erase properly and poorly placed support beams obstructing the view in some classrooms.

"Compared to the BISC it's a lot less depressing," Hornoff said. "I hope they turn that into a parking lot.