Procurement News Notice |
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| PNN | 6285 |
| Work Detail | State officials will join business leaders and the University of Rhode Island community Tuesday morning to mark the opening of the school’s new $68-million Richard E. Beaupre Center for Chemical and Forensic Sciences Center, which was funded mostly by a $61-million bond Rhode Islanders approved in the 2010 election. The ribbon-cutting symbolizes the latest development in a building boom involving several Rhode Island-based schools that are making significant investments in improved teaching and research capabilities in the STEM disciplines: science, technology, engineering and mathematics. STEM industries increasingly are seen as a cornerstone of the state’s economic future, replacing the disappearing "traditional" manufacturing that dates to Samuel Slater’s 18th-century, water-powered cotton-spinning mill, preserved now as a Pawtucket museum, which sparked the American Industrial Revolution. "Science is at the heart of innovation and discovery, and chemistry is the foundation for numerous scientific disciplines," said URI president David M. Dooley, who remains a research chemist. He called chemistry "the building block and the bedrock for the health sciences, biotechnology, energy, pharmacy, nursing and high technology." The Beaupre Center houses URI’s chemistry department, along with a federal Center of Excellence for Explosives Detection, Mitigation and Response. Replacing Pastore Hall, built in 1953, the new center triples the amount of space for teaching labs — and also greatly expands the space for research laboratories. The center is named for Richard E. Beaupre, a URI graduate who contributed $2.5 million to the center. Founder and CEO of Lincoln-based ChemArt, the Cumberland resident graduated from URI in 1962 and received an honorary doctorate from his alma mater in 2003. "I am proud to be a Rhode Islander and a supporter of economic development," Beaupre said. "Fostering research, innovation, and discovery is critical to Rhode Island’s future as a center of advanced industries," Governor Raimondo said. "This facility, along with other recent projects, positions the university to attract businesses, entrepreneurs, and inventors to our state and grow our economy." Among the features of the four-story, 134,623-square-foot center, designed by Boston’s Wilson Architects Inc., with construction by Rumford’s Bacon Construction and management by Rumford R.I. Keogh Construction Management of East Providence: — Fourteen 14 teaching labs and 18 faculty research labs. — The 240-seat Victor J. Baxt Lecture Hall and another, smaller, lecture hall. — The Teknor Apex Instrumentation Lab. — Walls of glass, stone, brick and other materials. Natural lighting is emphasized. More evidence of the growing importance of STEM education and research is found in Providence, where URI also has a campus. Last week, the ribbon was cut on Johnson & Wales’ new $42-million, 71,000-square-foot John J. Bowen Center for Science and Innovation, built on Route 195 development land in Providence. Meanwhile, construction is underway on a new 80,000-square-foot, $88-million research building for Brown University's School of Engineering. |
| Country | United States , Northern America |
| Industry | Education & Training, Chemicals & Fertilizer |
| Entry Date | 15 Oct 2016 |
| Source | http://www.providencejournal.com/news/20160905/uri-opens-new-68-million-chemistry-building |
