$65M Integrative Science Building Construction Nearing Completion at University of Oregon

The University of Oregon is poised to celebrate completion of Phase II building construction on its Lokey Science Complex on the Eugene campus this fall with the opening of the $65M Lewis Integrative Science Building. The 100,000sf science building will have fully one-third of its space devoted to labs and will be home to strategic research clusters related to the human brain, molecular biology, nanotechnology, and solar energy. It will bring together researchers from across the spectrum of brain research from cognitive development to rehabilitation as well as molecular biologists studying cancer and stem cells and materials scientists working in green nanotechnology and solar energy. The Lewis Building is expected to earn LEED platinum certification, and it will be the most expensive science facility ever built at the University of Oregon. The fundraising effort is nearing completion and labs will be filling with new equipment and supplies soon in preparation for the fall move-in.

Phase I of the Lokey Integrative Science Complex was completed in 2007, with the opening of the 30,000sf underground shared facility, Lokey Laboratories, beneath Hustis Hall.  The labs are home to the collaborative Oregon Nanoscience and Microtechnologies Institute(ONAMI), a consortium that includes the University of Oregon, Oregon State University, Portland State University, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, and several private high-tech companies. ONAMI was the first of (now) 6 Signature Research Centers of the Oregon University System: inter-institutional, public-private collaborative research units leveraging the best minds, research equipment, and resources to produce usable, marketable results.

UO describes "Integrative Science" as going beyond interdisciplinarity with:

• Shared facilities
• New partnerships
• Broad community engagement (e.g. private industry, medical community, education, government agencies) to create highly relevant solutions
• Problem-solving from multiple perspectives
• Whole-systems approach, rather than compartmentalization of problems
• Both basic and applied research
• Both individual and team research
• Benefits for Oregon’s economy
• Spectrum of activities from curiosity-driven basic research to commercialization
• Ability to move seamlessly among schools of thought
• Model for new approaches to interdisciplinary, collaborative learning, and discovery
• Engagement of all members of academia (undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral students as well as mid-career and principle investigators) in working toward common goals

[Map of the Science Complex, courtesy of University of Oregon]

The map above shows the location of the new Lewis Building at the top-right. The Lokey Laboratories are at the bottom-right (underground), and the future Phase III facilities (also underground) are sketched in at the far left. Phase III will include include more open, flexible lab space for integrative research at the bench level, strengthening collaborations developed in phases I and II.

Biotechnology Calendar, Inc. invites you to connect with University of Oregon life science researchers and to showcase new laboratory products at the upcoming BioResearch Product Faire™ Front Line event on the Eugene campus on September 11, 2012. Researchers are invited to attend for free and learn about the latest laboratory equipment and supplies. Exhibitors can click the button below for funding stats and show information. We offer these three excellent networking and sales opportunities consecutively in Oregon in the Fall:

• Eugene Front Line™ event: 9/11/2012 on the University of Oregon campus
• Corvallis Bioresearch Product Faire™ event: 9/12/2012 on the Oregon State U campus
• Portland Bioresearch Product Faire™ event: 9/13/2012 on the OHSU campus