WPI Cuts The Ribbon On Tech Center
Jill Rulfs, associate head of Worcester Polytechnic Institute's department of biology and biotechnology, gives a tour of the George I. Alden Life Sciences & Bioengineering Educational Center at the school. The center had an official ribbon cutting Thursday morning.
After one and a half years of construction and redesign work, the new George I. Alden Life Sciences and Bioengineering Educational Center at Worcester Polytechnic Institute was opened this morning with a ribbon-cutting and dedication ceremony.
The 21,300-square-foot facility, which replaces the outdated Goddard Hall, was the vision of a collective of faculty members led by Jill Rulfs, the associate head of WPI's department of biology and biotechnology. The project was funded by an $11.5 million gift bestowed by the George I. Alden Trust.
"The building has been completely transformed both visually and functionally," Rulfs said, explaining that all four floors are wireless and that such modern technology is critical for how the school must teach new generations. "One half of learning is engagement. Now we can engage students in ways that they're used to," she said.
The center, which houses undergraduate teaching laboratories for biology, biotechnology, biomedical engineering, chemistry, biochemistry, and chemical engineering, is equipped with labs that are interchangeable between the different programs. It also includes surgical tables and operating lights that can be easily accessed or removed based on laboratory use.
The school has seen life sciences and related engineering programs grow by 86 percent over the last four years. Eric Overstrom, head of the biology and biotechnology department and the director of the WPI Life Sciences and Bioengineering Center at Gateway Park, said the new center is a response to that growing interest and will also encourage further interest in the life sciences.
"It completes our commitment to life sciences as the second bookend," the first bookend being Gateway Park, he said. In fact, it was the opening of Gateway Park two years ago-which now houses a research center and graduate student services-that opened up the necessary space on WPI's main campus to build a facility such as the Alden Center."Our students now have more options in front of them. By embracing life sciences, it increases student opportunities and it provides them with the opportunity to also validate their choice," he said.
Overstrom said that most WPI students don't need extensive training once they enter the workforce and that the new center will provide them with even greater experience with which to market themselves to future employers.
The George I. Alden Trust was established in 1912 and is named after George Alden, a professor of mechanical engineering at WPI in the late 19th century. Alden founded the Norton Co. and invented and produced the first hydraulic elevator. Since its creation, the trust has bestowed more than $19 million to WPI.
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