This proposal seeks matching funds to renovate a portion of the existing animal facility in Smith Hall on the Newark Campus of Rutgers - The State University of New Jersey. The renovation is to be done in conjunction with the construction of a new animal facility on the fourth floor of the planned Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience (the """"""""Neuroscience Center""""""""). The proposal also seeks equipment for these combined facilities. The overall aim of the combined projects is to create a single animal facility that will serve a centralized animal care program for the Newark Campus. The location of the central facility will allow for efficient management under the direction of Laboratory Animal Services, serve faculty working in three connected buildings, and yet enable faculty in the behavioral sciences to house experimental subjects in close proximity to their laboratories. The need for a new facility arises for two reasons: (1) the need to upgrade the current facility to meet acceptable standards, and (2) the need to accommodate a rapidly growing animal research program. Primarily due to poor design, the existing facility has many problems that are not easily remedied by simple improvements. The building has no loading dock, inadequate elevator service, narrow hallways, marginal mechanical systems, and inappropriate surface finishes. In addition, to these reasons, an estimate to renovate the entire current facility showed such a project nor to be cost effective. It was decided to take advantage of the plans for a new Neuroscience Center and to incorporate a central animal facility for the campus in the new construction. The new facility will provide all core service functions for the campus animal care program. The renovation of a portion of Smith Hall, for which support is requested in this proposal, will provide housing of animals proximate to behavioral science laboratories in Smith Hall, and by means of a connecting link to the Neuroscience Center, efficiently utilize the core service areas of the new facility.
