In September 1995, Rutgers University's Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering created the Pharmaceutical Engineering Program, the first one of its kind in the United States. The Program was established to improve the performance of the pharmaceutical manufacturing process by systematically applying engineering concepts to generate a wide array of technologies needed for the making and processing of materials. In some instances, the resulting manufacturing procedures are highly unstable with respect to changes in processing conditions or in raw materials properties, that the validity of the production process is compromised. Engineering concepts such as mass, momentum and energy balances, thermodynamics, transport phenomena, colloidal and surface chemistry, are used to characterize basic operations in the process. Generating advanced technologies, for improving the predictability, reliability, and controllability of the manufacturing process, is one of the important objectives of the program. Currently, research activities of the program are conducted in five different buildings scattered across campus. This geographic dispersion makes it difficult to achieve cohesiveness and develop effective collaborations. Moreover, available laboratory space is poorly suited to perform many of the necessary research investigations. This award will partially support the renovation of Building C of the Engineering Complex on the Busch Campus. Originally built in 1963, the existing structure has not been renovated since that time and laboratories are in an advanced state of deterioration. This project will correct deficiencies interfering with the conduction of research by installing fume hoods, air handling equipment for proper ventilation, new electrical and plumbing services, and reconfiguring laboratories. Targeted space will be renovated into a modern powder technology research facility consisting of five laboratories and six auxiliary instrument rooms, providing sufficient space to consolidate all of the Program's experimental activities. Improved research capabilities and strong collaborations, facilitated by the project, will accelerate and multiply the development of new technologies, enhancing the predictability and controllability of the manufacturing process. Because the US suffers from an acute shortage of researchers trained in powder technology, the project will have a major impact on the Department's ability to develop research training activities, ensuring access to underrepresented groups in this multidisciplinary area of study. It is anticipated that once the Program is fully established, other academic institutions will be interested in developing similar programs addressing the needs of an industry critical to the US economy.
