UVa science push bombs out
Posted: October 5th, 2007, 7:36 pm
A $126 million effort to attract world-class research professors to the University of Virginia has apparently failed to provide the expected boost to the university’s reputation, according to UVa President John T. Casteen III.
The three-year recruitment effort, known as the “star scientist initiative,” has so far lured six top-tier science researchers to UVa at a cost of $20 million.
Rather than investing millions on a handful of faculty members, Casteen said, the university ought to first dramatically expand its laboratory space.
“Our problem is space, not scientists,” Casteen said at a Board of Visitors committee meeting Thursday.
At Casteen’s urging, two BOV committees unanimously endorsed three construction projects that would add more than 195,000 square feet of research space. Final approval is expected at the BOV’s full meeting today.
One of the projects is a 100,000-square-foot facility for physical and life sciences research. At a cost of $88.9 million, the building would be adjacent to UVa’s new chemistry building near Scott Stadium.
Also under the proposal is an expansion of a planned 73,000-square-foot research facility for the School of Engineering and Applied Science. The expansion would increase the size of the building to 100,000 square feet and add $19.6 million to its $56.7 million price tag.
The final proposed project is an expansion of a planned 41,000-square-foot health sciences building at Fontaine Research Park. With the expansion, the building would increase to 110,000 square feet and jump in price from $35 million to $93.3 million.
“I can’t imagine another way that we can catch up with other institutions,” Casteen said. “If there’s an arms race, then we’re losing it.”
New research facilities are needed to attract the best and brightest science professors to UVa, Casteen said. The university’s current policy of recruiting expensive faculty members and then custom building lab space for them has proved a “disaster,” he said.
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The three-year recruitment effort, known as the “star scientist initiative,” has so far lured six top-tier science researchers to UVa at a cost of $20 million.
Rather than investing millions on a handful of faculty members, Casteen said, the university ought to first dramatically expand its laboratory space.
“Our problem is space, not scientists,” Casteen said at a Board of Visitors committee meeting Thursday.
At Casteen’s urging, two BOV committees unanimously endorsed three construction projects that would add more than 195,000 square feet of research space. Final approval is expected at the BOV’s full meeting today.
One of the projects is a 100,000-square-foot facility for physical and life sciences research. At a cost of $88.9 million, the building would be adjacent to UVa’s new chemistry building near Scott Stadium.
Also under the proposal is an expansion of a planned 73,000-square-foot research facility for the School of Engineering and Applied Science. The expansion would increase the size of the building to 100,000 square feet and add $19.6 million to its $56.7 million price tag.
The final proposed project is an expansion of a planned 41,000-square-foot health sciences building at Fontaine Research Park. With the expansion, the building would increase to 110,000 square feet and jump in price from $35 million to $93.3 million.
“I can’t imagine another way that we can catch up with other institutions,” Casteen said. “If there’s an arms race, then we’re losing it.”
New research facilities are needed to attract the best and brightest science professors to UVa, Casteen said. The university’s current policy of recruiting expensive faculty members and then custom building lab space for them has proved a “disaster,” he said.
http://www.dailyprogress.com/servlet/Sa ... 4476&path=