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。该项目将翻新拉德福大学校园内居里大厅的实验室空间，为大学的生物和化学项目创建核心研究设施。 这一改造是必要的，让更多的学生参与本科研究，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。 该建筑的大部分研究空间自近40年前最初建造以来一直没有翻新。 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，两个动物园和重新配置的空间，用于共享研究仪器。 在居里大厅的三楼，将创建一个核心实验室，用于化学和生物化学的合作研究。 翻新后的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领域进行研究和研究培训。 为翻修后的实验室提出的研究活动的例子包括在动物模型中调节食欲的神经机制的研究，神经内分泌和免疫系统的作用，及其对行为和认知的影响，在自由生活的物种中，对酶β-葡萄糖醛酸苷酶的研究，该酶催化葡萄糖醛酸苷基团从底物中裂解，并对人类健康和癌症治疗有重大影响，生物与化学系拥有生物和化学研究的核心设施，生物与化学系将能够继续致力于通过一对一的学生/教师指导，在本科生研究和教育方面取得卓越成就。 该大学为多元化和积极的本科生群体提供服务，其中包括大量的第一代大学生。 改造项目将提供更好的实验室，通过研究激励更多的本科生追求研究生和专业学士后教育。

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.