College News

Architect selected for expansion of Cedar Creek facilities

The expansion will add 22,300 square feet of research, education, and public outreach space to Cedar Creek Natural History Area, a field station for ecology research.

The architectural firm of Rafferty Rafferty Tollefson has been selected to design a $7 million expansion of facilities at Cedar Creek Natural History Area that will add 22,300 square feet of research, education, outreach, and housing space to the worldrenowned ecology research site.

Established in 1961, the St. Paul firm has received more than 60 awards for design excellence. They specialize in design of educational, civic, and religious structures that “lift the human spirit and respect the natural environment.”

David Tilman, Regents Professor of Ecology, uses Cedar Creek as a living laboratory for research on biodiversity. Tim Rummelhoff

Credits include a 63,000-squarefoot science building at the University of Minnesota, Morris; Engel Hall and Seton Commons at St. John’s University; the Como Zoo’s large cat exhibit; and the recently completed Visitor’s Center at the University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum in Chanhassen.

The Cedar Creek project will complement Lawrence Laboratory, which was built in 1957 and is the main existing building at the site. Plans call for converting Lawrence Laboratory into administrative space and adding the following:

A 12,000-square-foot science and outreach center with laboratories, classrooms, computer rooms, library, auditorium, meeting rooms, and exhibit space.

10,300 square feet of new housing for researchers, visiting faculty, and student interns.

For the past 20 years, Cedar Creek has served as a living laboratory for David Tilman, Regents Professor of Ecology, whose long-term ecological experiments at Cedar Creek proved that biodiversity is essential for strong and healthy ecosystems. Tilman, a member of the National Academy of Sciences, is the most cited ecologist in the United States.

Norway’s Crown Prince for endowed chair

Daniel Bond, right, shows Crown Prince Haakon and Bob Elde how he uses a common type of bacteria to generate electricity. Bond’s research is funded by the Initiative for Renewable Energy and the Environment. Patrick O'Leary

Norway’s Crown Prince Haakon brought the College of Biological Sciences a gift when he visited in October in celebration of Norway’s centennial. The prince chose the occasion to announce a $750,000 gift for an endowed faculty position in renewable energy and microbial genomics, called the Norwegian Centennial Interdisciplinary Chair.

The gift stems from several years of collaborative research between the University of Minnesota and the Norwegian University of Life Sciences.
“We have a great working relationship with the Norwegian University of Life Sciences,” said Dean Elde. “The new chair will help us advance research in biofuels, biobased products, and functional genomics.”

The University will work with the Norwegian- American community to raise gifts for an endowed Norwegian Centennial Graduate Fellowship to support the exchange of graduate students from the University and cooperating universities in Norway.

Even Mother Nature loves Maroon and Gold.

The University’s 2005 poster and notecards feature Thunbergia mysorensis,a tropical vine that grows in the mountains of southern India and in the College of Biological Sciences greenhouse. The photo was taken in the greenhouse by U photographer Patrick O’Leary. The free poster can be picked up at several University locations or mailed for $5; notecards are $6 for a box of 15. For details, go to http://www1.umn.edu/urelate and open the Quick Link on the right or call 612-624-6868.

Wet lab windows overlook plant-filled courtyard.

University Enterprise Laboratories celebrates grand opening

University Enterprise Laboratories Inc. (UEL), a nonprofit incubator for biotech start-up companies, welcomed new tenants and guests at an October grand opening to celebrate the completion of construction.

Architectural Alliance transformed the 125,000-square-foot building, which had been used for direct mail merchandising, into wet labs for biotech entrepreneurs and offices for related support services. The 21 wet labs overlook an atrium courtyard filled with natural light and featuring a “bioscience garden” of bamboo and other exotic plants.

Principal architect was Thomas DeAngelo, who also designed the Cargill Building for Microbial and Plant Genomics on the St. Paul campus.

UEL is a nonprofit, public-private partnership created to provide laboratory space for early-stage bioscience companies and opportunities for faculty and students and to help Minnesota realize economic benefits from advances in biology and biotechnology. Founding partners were the University of Minnesota, the University of Minnesota Foundation, the City of St. Paul, and Xcel Energy. Allina, 3M, Medtronic, Boston Scientific, Dorsey and Whitney, Ecolab, Guidant, Surmodics, and Xcel Energy are corporate sponsors. The University of Minnesota and the City of St. Paul also made financial investments in UEL. Robert Elde, dean of the College of Biological Sciences, is chairman of the board of directors.

UEL is situated on an 11-acre site in the heart of the St. Paul Bioscience Zone and along the bus transit way between the University’s St. Paul and Minneapolis campuses just northwest of University Avenue and Highway 280. For more information about UEL and tenant companies, go to www.uelmn.org.

Robert McDonald, 3M Foundation; Jerry Fischer, UM Foundation; Penny Hunt, Medtronic Foundation; U President Bob Bruininks; Mayor Randy Kelly; Bob Elde, CBS dean; Richard Pettingill, Allina; Ben Fowke, Xcel Energy; Aron Anderson, Surmodics.