The Materials Research Institute is offering guided public tours of the North Wing of the new Millennium Science Complex on Wednesdays at 3:30 p.m. Registrants are asked to meet in the lobby of the Materials Research Institute wing where the tour will commence. Tour participation is limited to 40 seats per tour date. To register, visit: http://doodle.com/p7wbf58hd4a43is3 online. (more)
When Penn State's Millennium Science Complex opened its doors to researchers this fall, it inaugurated a new era of scientific discovery at the intersection of materials science, engineering, nanoscience and the life sciences at Penn State. The 297,000-square-foot research building is the culmination of 10 years of planning and more than three years of construction, making it the largest academic building on campus and one of the most complex construction projects in the University's history.
The facility is designed to the exacting standards of a world-class laboratory for imaging on the atomic level, and nanofabrication in stringent cleanroom conditions. The northern wing of the building is devoted to materials science, while the west wing of the building houses researchers in the life sciences and neural engineering. The two wings are joined on several levels to facilitate interactions between the two disciplines, and some of the instrumentation for characterization and nanofabrication is shared between the two groups in a common area of the building. (more)
Rising up along Pollock Road between Shortlidge and Bigler roads on Penn State's University Park campus, the 297,000-square-foot Millennium Science Complex is impressive for its size alone. But what is truly remarkable about the new building is in the details. "Every aspect of this building has been very thoughtfully designed in great detail, from the highly sensitive research labs to the configuration of the plants on a green roof," said Gordon Turow, director of campus planning and design. "It's very impressive that a building of this size could so successfully address such a huge range of complex design details." Contractors are putting the finishing touches on those details as the building -- the new home for the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences and Materials Research Institute -- nears completion. Most construction work was finished by the end of July, and the University expects soon to receive an occupancy permit from the Department of Labor and Industry verifying it has been built to code. (more)
On May 13, 2011, Roger Geiger, distinguished professor of higher education at Penn State, spoke about the University's history as a land-grant institution at the initiation and awards ceremony of Penn State's Phi Beta Kappa chapter, Lambda of Pennsylvania. Following is a transcript of his talk. (more)
Penn State's new Millennium Science Complex, the most comprehensive laboratory facility to be built at the University, is scheduled to open in 2011 and has already spawned a tremendous amount of innovation as it takes shape on a prominent corner of campus. As the epicenter of study and work for the Materials Research Institute and the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, the Millennium Science Complex promises to be home to groundbreaking research. That research, however, comes with unique needs, which have led to unique solutions in the building's design and construction. (more)
In what is traditionally called a topping-off ceremony, contractors hoisted the final I-beam into its place Tuesday, April 6, on the Millennium Science Complex, now under construction at Penn State's University Park campus. By completing the complex skeletal frame, construction workers can begin finishing the envelope, or outer shell, and then finally the interior of the complex, which will house materials science and life science faculty together to encourage innovative research collaborations. Read on to watch video highlights of the ceremony. (more)
New, powerful technology has life sciences researchers on the cusp of what Penn State biologist Peter Hudson calls a "tsunami of data," that is changing the way research is performed, making the integration of traditional laboratory work and computer analysis more critical than ever. Facilitating collaboration among researchers and analysts across an array of scientific disciplines, Penn State's Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences in 2011 will move into a new space in the Millennium Science Complex -- a 275,000-square-foot facility it will share with the Materials Research Institute. (more)
Led by director Steven J. Schiff and assistant director Bruce Gluckman, Penn State's Center for Neural Engineering is forging ahead with confidence. Awarded a $1 million Biomedical Core Center grant from the National Institutes of Health this fall, and with a custom-designed facility in the new Materials/Life Sciences complex in the works for 2011, Schiff, Gluckman and colleagues are positioning the center to become an innovation leader at the intersection of neural engineering, materials science and medicine. One priority is to find more sensitive, precise and individualized strategies to monitor brain activity and suppress seizures before they strike. (more)
From ceramic materials for electronics to atomic-scale nanotechnology, physics and chemistry to electrical engineering, clean energy to biotechnology, Penn State's Materials Research Institute (MRI) is at the cutting edge of research and technology that is changing the way we live. In 2011 MRI will join with the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences to move into the Millennium Science Complex, an impressive new 275,000 square-foot facility under construction on Pollock Road at the University Park campus. While the new building will be breathtaking in size and architecture, what goes on behind its walls will be even more impressive. (more)
University Park, Pa. -- Penn State is working on the cutting edge of materials and life sciences, researching new technology that has the potential to revolutionize industries ranging from transportation and energy to medicine to agriculture. Now a new facility on the University Park campus will be a cornerstone in facilitating collaborative research in these critical areas. The University's Board of Trustees on Friday (Sept. 19) approved final plans for the Millennium Science Complex, a new 275,600-square-foot building designed by Rafael Vinoly Architects that will bring together the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences and the Materials Research Institute. "This new building will promote interdisciplinary collaboration between these two highly technical research programs," said Gary C. Schultz, senior vice president for finance and business/treasurer. (more)
