Troy, N.Y. — Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute broke ground today for the $80 million Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies in the center of the Rensselaer campus.

Government officials, legislative leaders, trustees, and alumni spoke at the event that has launched a weekend of celebration to culminate with Rensselaer’s 196th commencement Saturday morning on the Harkness Field.

The featured speaker was Anthony Tether, director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) in Washington, D.C., and a graduate of Rensselaer’s class of 1964.

The 218,000-sq.-foot biotechnology building, scheduled for completion in 2004, will increase research activity and provide a state-of-the-art resource for more than 350 Rensselaer researchers in biotechnology, information technology, and related disciplines. Focus areas of the center will include functional tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, integrated systems biology, bioinformatics, biocatalysis, and metabolic engineering.

“This center for biotechnology and interdisciplinary studies is central to achieving our goals - and, indeed, our nation’s goals - in research, education, and outreach,” said Rensselaer President Shirley Ann Jackson. “It will be a birthplace of discovery. It will be home for world-class faculty. It will rank among the world’s most advanced facilities for science and engineering research.”

“Rensselaer is universally recognized as one of the premier American universities for research and innovation in the high-technology fields — not only among those in industry and higher education, but also among officials and agencies of the federal government,” said U.S. Congressman Michael McNulty. “Without a doubt, the work turned out by this Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies will solidify that standing. As the budget debate continues, you can be assured that I will continue to fight for federal funding for biotech and other high-technology research. I am proud to represent Rensselaer in the halls of Congress.”

“With this project Rensselaer will solidify its reputation as one of the finest research schools in the nation,” said Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno. “In addition, this state-of-the-art biotechnology center, combined with the Senate’s new Gen*NY*sis biotech investment program, will help us build a stronger economy in the Capital Region. I congratulate Rensselaer for its foresight with this project.” “Today marks not only the groundbreaking of a new building, but I hope it also marks the success that comes from our relationship and partnership with this great university,” said Troy Mayor Mark Pattison. “The outcome of this $250 million investment on Rensselaer’s South Campus will be an investment in our neighborhoods, increased economic activity, and an improved quality of life in Troy and the Capital Region.”

Designed by the joint venture team of Burt Hill Kosar Rittelmann of Butler, Pa., and Bohlin Cywinski Jackson of Pittsburgh, the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies will be constructed on 15th Street, adjacent to the George M. Low Center for Industrial Innovation. It will mirror historic architectural features of Rensselaer’s Quad residence hall at the opposite end of the street. The new facility will house laboratories, offices, an auditorium, and conference rooms for faculty members, researchers, graduate students, and staff. Rensselaer alumni are among the architects on project: Dick Rittelmann ’60, principal-in-charge; Peter Bohlin ’58, design architect; and Jon Jackson ’73, lead architect. Harry Gordon ’73 and Michael Maiese ’90 are also on the team.

A complex in the new facility will recognize a generous gift to the Rensselaer endowment by Pauline Urban Bruggeman and Warren H. Bruggeman ’46 of Schenectady. The complex will be the “public face” of the proposed building as it welcomes international visitors, world-class researchers, alumni, faculty, and students.

The broad vision of Rensselaer’s biotechnology program and research initiatives inspired a generous gift by philanthropist Morris “Marty” Silverman to create the $14 million Noble Enterprise Constellation, a group of distinguished senior and junior faculty in biotechnology research. The Noble Enterprise Constellation will conduct research in regenerative medicine and tissue engineering, which is the replacement or rebuilding of damaged tissues and organs for therapeutic purposes. It is intended that these faculty will have academic faculty appointments at Rensselaer and joint positions at the Wadsworth Center of the New York State Department of Health. Much of the research under this constellation will take place in the new center. Partnerships with the Wadsworth Center of the New York State Department of Health, which includes the Center for Bioinformatics, will advance research in biotechnology and bring renown to the Capital Region for leadership in high-technology research and industry. Scientist Charles “Chip” Lawrence, who holds joint appointments as professor of computer science at Rensselaer and chief of the Biometrics Lab at the Wadsworth Center, forms part of Rensselaer’s constellation in bioinformatics, which links biology with information technology.

To further biotechnology research and promote economic development through industrial partnership, Rensselaer, Albany Medical Center and College, the Wadsworth Center, and the University at Albany - SUNY have formed the Capital Region Biotechnology Research Consortium.

Contact: Patricia Azriel
Phone: (518) 276-6531
E-mail: N/A