The National Science Foundation and Manhattan College will establish a partnership to revitalize the institution's research infrastructure by renovating the Plant Morphogenesis Laboratory (PML). Constructed in 1963, the PML reflects the importance of student participation in faculty research programs, an integral role of the undergraduate curriculum in biology since the early fifties. The facility has served the needs of both faculty and students, but signs of age, obsolescence, and an increased difficulty to support scientific investigations are evident. Lighting is poor, plumbing is problematic, laboratory benches have deteriorated, and fume hoods have reached the end of their effectiveness. Funding from the Academic Research Infrastructure Program will correct deficiencies needed to create a comprehensive undergraduate research facility capable of supporting investigations on a wide array of topics including: cell biology, molecular biology, microbiology, virology, plant physiology and environmental biology. Having been recognized as one of the nation's leading research colleges educating US scientists, this project will facilitate Manhattan College in its endeavor to maintain excellence in undergraduate biological research programs, respond to changing priorities of faculty research, and provide research opportunities to a growing number of students interested in pursing science as a career. Since the institution is located in an urban environment, completion of this project will enable the institution to attract a significant number of under-represented minority students in science, thus aiding to create a diverse scientific enterprise for the 21st century.
