This Academic Research Facilities Modernization Program (ARFMP) award from the Research Facilities Office provides funds to Brown University for the renovation and repair of the Barus and Holley Building which houses the major portion of the materials science research and research training activities of the Division of Engineering and the Department of Physics. This building was constructed in 1965 and has not previously been renovated. The ARFMP grant of $660,000 and $770,000 provided by the grantee as cost sharing will be used to modernize these research and research training facilities. This project will address the need to improve the current research infrastructure by correcting system and design problems that affect safety, reliability, capacity, energy, maintenance, and ecology and which primarily involve the remodeling of the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) and chilled water service. Accruing from this renovation will be the unrestricted use of fume hoods, the enhancement of the computing capacity, and improvement in flexibility related to the use of electrical equipment. This award contributes to the infrastructure of science and engineering by providing an improved environment for the conduct of research and for the training of quality undergraduate and graduate students. Students trained in these laboratories are products of a large internationally-recognized center of excellence which has had and continues to have a major impact on our national research effort, especially in the areas of solid state electronics and the mechanics of materials.
