Whittingham The NSF award will provide support for renovation of the Materials Chemistry/Physics Facility in the Science II building at the State University of New York (SUNY) Binghamton. Science II was constructed in 1967 and has not undergone any renovation since. Project funding will provide a substantial improvement for cross-disciplinary activities between chemistry and physics in the areas of materials chemistry and condensed matter physics. The effort will benefit 6 faculty members, 22 graduate students and approximately 14 undergraduate researchers. The NSF-funded project to renovate interior laboratories will complement institutional efforts for major mechanical and roofing improvements. Laboratories and instrumentation facilities are located on the ground floor of Science II, and renovation activities will include consolidation and reorganization of space, installation of fume hoods, addition of air conditioning units for individual temperature control, installation of a Helium liquefier, upgrades to the electrical system, installation of a delivery system for gaseous nitrogen, and installation of new laboratory casework. The project will substantially improve research facilities for Electronics Packaging and Materials Research which have been selected by the University as areas of programmatic emphasis. University identification of these priorities includes resource investment in faculty recruitment, seed funding for development of two organized research centers, and substantial start-up funds for conduct of research.*** Stevenson The NSF and the New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) will jointly support the renovation of approximately 131 square research meters for the enhancement of laboratory facilities in systematic and economic botany. The impacted laboratories have not been renovated since their original construction in 1957. As a result, they are not configured, or mechanically served, for molecular plant systematics, and t hey do not meet modern health and safety standards. Faculty and graduate students have been unable to conduct on-site research and training and have had to travel to local affiliated laboratories and, on occasion, to laboratories located out of state. Renovations will include replacement of two antiquated fume hoods, installation of new electrical wiring with ground fault receptacles, upgrading of water delivery and drainage systems, installation of thermostatic controls, replacement of traps and valves on steam radiators, removal of unused steam lines, and refurbishment of laboratory cabinets, floors, walls, ceilings, and lab bench tops. The renovation of laboratories for use in molecular systematics will add new impetus to the research and research training program at NYBG and will directly benefit five research scientists, three post doctoral students, and fifteen graduate students in molecular biology. The molecular research program allows researchers to track the evolution of the same gene in species from widely different groups of organisms, which in turn provides new insight on plant evolutionary history. The Garden is also used by visiting scientists, many of whom travel from Latin America for study and has cooperative programs with three local universities.
