Consortium of CNS Programs Awarded MLSC Grant for Integrated Science Building Renovation
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The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC) has awarded a Post-secondary Education and Training Grant that will fund the renovation of laboratory space in UMass Amherst’s Integrated Science Building (ISB) as part of an announcement of 68 awards totaling more than $12.3 million through its Education and Workforce Development Grant Program.
The Post-secondary Education and Training Grants will benefit 22 academic institutions and nonprofit organizations offering industry-aligned certificate and degree programs. Funding will support the purchase and installation of laboratory equipment, materials, supplies, technology, and facility improvements that strengthen workforce training programs and prepare students for high-demand careers in the life sciences.
“Our life sciences industry is one of the biggest reasons Massachusetts continues to lead in innovation and economic opportunity,” said Governor Maura Healey. “These investments will prepare more students for high-demand careers, strengthen our workforce, and ensure companies can continue growing and creating jobs right here in Massachusetts.”
Several areas of study within the College of Natural Sciences (CNS), including the Animal Science (ANSCI) and Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (BMB) programs, and the Biology (BIO) and Psychological and Brain Sciences (PBS) departments—which jointly manage the new Neuroscience (NS) major—share teaching lab space on two floors of ISB, which opened in 2009.
This proposal requests renovation of one of the laboratory classrooms to modernize the space for a course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE) lab for the NS major and to acquire equipment to support this course. Equipment is routinely shared amongst the six lab classrooms in ISB, so ANSCI, BMB, and NS-track lab courses will be able to access the requested equipment.
“Over a thousand life science majors take laboratory courses in the six lab classrooms in ISB annually,” said Jennifer Normanly, professor and head of the BMB program. “This investment allows us to enhance their readiness to join the life sciences industry workforce.”
CNS has excelled at embedding authentic research into undergraduate life science majors' curriculum, and expanding experiential learning opportunities such as CUREs across CNS majors is a top priority. These renovations will enhance the layout of ISB’s current teaching laboratory spaces, so that they will be optimal for life-science laboratory training. This will especially benefit CURE lab courses, which expose undergraduate students to authentic research on a large scale.
“We are truly excited for these investments, which will improve our teaching laboratory space,” said Mike Fox, dean of the College of Natural Sciences. “Hands-on, experiential learning is transformative to student success, and these renovated spaces will allow us to create and deliver more innovative experiential learning opportunities to students interested in pursuing careers in life- and health-science-related industries.”
Learn more about this Post-secondary Education and Training Grant on WWLP and the MLSC website.