Radford University Department of Biology and Chemistry Facilities Modernization

该奖项是根据2009年美国复苏和再投资法案（公法111-5）资助的。该项目将翻新Radford大学校园里居里大厅的实验室空间，为该大学的生物和化学项目创建核心研究设施。为了让更多的学生参与到本科研究中来，提高教师和学生的研究活动的质量和范围，提供一个更安全的工作环境，并增加生物和化学项目之间的合作努力，这种改造是必要的。该建筑的大部分研究空间自近40年前的原始建筑以来一直没有翻新过。对于生物学研究项目，改造将在居里大厅的地下室提供一个核心研究设施，其中包括两个动物陈列室和重新配置的共享研究仪器空间。在居里大厅的三楼，将建立一个核心实验室，用于化学和生物化学的合作研究。核心实验室的教师将在生物学、微生物学、细胞和分子生物学、生物化学、化学动力学和催化、分析化学和神经科学等领域进行研究和研究培训。改造后的实验室拟开展的研究活动包括研究动物模型中调节食欲的神经机制、神经内分泌和免疫系统的作用及其对自由生物物种行为和认知的影响、研究β -葡萄糖醛酸酶，该酶能催化葡萄糖醛酸基团从底物中裂解，对人类健康和癌症治疗具有重大意义。以及与生物柴油生产相关的酯化和酯交换反应的新型催化剂的开发。凭借生物和化学研究的核心设施，生物和化学系将能够通过一对一的学生/教师指导，继续致力于卓越的本科研究和教育。该大学为多元化和积极进取的本科生提供服务，其中包括相当数量的第一代大学生。翻新工程将提供更好的实验室，以激励更多的本科生通过研究攻读研究生和专业学士学位后的教育。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).This project will renovate laboratory space in Curie Hall on the campus of Radford University to create core research facilities for the university's biology and chemistry programs. This renovation is needed to allow more students to participate in undergraduate research, improve the quality and scope of the research activities of the faculty and students, provide a safer work environment, and increase collaborative efforts between the biology and chemistry programs. The majority of the research space in the building has not been renovated since its original construction nearly 40 years ago. For the biology research program, the renovation will provide a core research facility in the basement of Curie Hall with two vivariums and reconfigured space for shared research instrumentation. On the third floor of Curie Hall, a core laboratory will be created for collaborative research in chemistry and biochemistry. Faculty in the renovated core labs will conduct research and research training in the areas of biology, microbiology, cellular and molecular biology, biochemistry, chemical kinetics and catalysis, analytical chemistry, and neuroscience. Examples of research activities proposed for the renovated laboratories include studies of the neural mechanisms that regulate appetite in an animal model, actions of the neuroendocrine and immune systems, and their impact on behavior and cognition, in free living species, investigation of the enzyme beta-glucuronidase which catalyzes the cleavage of a glucuronide group from substrates and has major implications in human health and cancer therapeutics, and development of a new catalyst for esterification and transesterification reactions related to biodiesel production.With the core facilities for biology and chemistry research, the Biology and Chemistry Department will be able to continue its dedication to excellence in undergraduate research and education through one-on-one student/faculty mentoring. The university serves a diverse and motivated undergraduate population, which includes a significant number of first-generation college students. The renovation project will provide better laboratories to inspire more of these undergraduate students through research to pursue graduate and professional post-baccalaureate education.