Biotechnology building debuts state-of-the-art E-Wing – CU Boulder Today

As Boulders biotech community continues to thrive and grow, theJennie Smoly Caruthers Biotechnology Buildingdebuted its state-of-the-art E-Wing on Monday.

The 56,340-square-foot E-Wingwill feature next-generation active learning spaces where students learn by doing rather than by being lectured, as well as laboratory space wherecurrent and future faculty in the BioFrontiers Instituteand the Department of Chemicaland Biological Engineering will be able tocontinue their groundbreaking research.

Mondays ribbon-cutting event honored Colorado-based philanthropists John and Anna Sie, whose generous $2 million gift will allow for the creation of an industry co-location space on the E-Wings second floor. The space will be leased to industry partners, allowing local and national biotech companies to bring scientists and resources on-site in order to work side-by-side with university students and researchers.

CU Boulder Chancellor Philip DiStefano and Tom Cech, Nobel Laureate and director of the BioFrontiers Institute, were on hand to officially open the Yuan Yung-Foo Interdisciplinary Bioscience Research Neighborhood and thanked the Sies for their continued support of BioFrontiers and the universitys research mission.

The Sies, whose philanthropic generosity is well known in the state of Colorado and around the world, have provided stalwart support for the BioFrontiers Institute for many years and in many ways, said Cech, a Distinguished Professor of chemistry and biochemistry at CU Boulder. We are truly grateful for their most recent commitment to providing much-needed research facilities where our talented researchers, students and industry partners work together to unravel the complexities of biology with an ultimate goal of enhancing human health and welfare.

Anna and John are among CUs most generous donorstheir gifts are always transformational, DiStefano said. "With their support, we are achieving our vision to become a leader in addressing the humanitarian, social and technological challenges of the 21st century."

Construction on the $32 million E-wing broke ground in March 2016, aided by $15 million in funding from the state of Colorado.

For more information on the E-Wing, visit the BioFrontiers Institutes website.

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Biotechnology building debuts state-of-the-art E-Wing - CU Boulder Today