| University of Florida Foundation, Inc. | |
| Christopher Brazda | 352-392-1633 |
| Public Relations | 100 NW 20th St |
| cbrazda@uff.ufl.edu | Gainesville, FL 32603 |
| For immediate release | Wednesday, March 21, 2007 |
NEW UF BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES BUILDING WILL PROVIDE ENVIRONMENT FOR COLLABORATION THANKS TO $850,000 GIFT
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GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Collaboration among the sciences fosters creative solutions for many of today’s problems. But creating the physical environment to promote the day-to-day interaction of scientists and engineers is often easier said than done.
Fostering these interactions is the reason the Shepard Broad Foundation, based in Miami, Fla., is providing $850,000 to enhance the atrium portion of the new UF Biomedical Sciences Building under construction on the UF campus.
“From little seeds will grow big projects that will help the world,” said Ann Bussel, a trustee of the foundation co-founded by her late father and mother, Shepard and Ruth Broad. “I hope that many of the seeds are planted in the atrium.”
Construction of the 160,000 square foot building is scheduled for completion in spring of 2009. Prior to the gift, the atrium was planned to be 1,000 square feet. With the gift, the atrium will encompass 3,400 square feet and feature wood veneers, striking metals and attractive flooring.
“The Biomedical Sciences Building is going to house fundamentally interdisciplinary research because of the eclectic group of people,” said William Ditto, chair of the J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering. “At the end of the day, discovery is people-driven. That’s why this gift is critical to our mission. So many discoveries are the result of chance encounters. One of the best ways to facilitate discovery is to create these kinds of spaces where people want to be.”
In addition to the day-to-day use of the atrium for faculty, students, and researcher networking and collaboration, the space will be used to host receptions for visiting faculty, lecturers and other guests.
“I’m very grateful to the Broad and Bussel families for their extremely generous gift,” said Pramod Khargonekar, dean of the College of Engineering. “This space will allow us to enhance creativity by building an exciting environment for our faculty and students, where they will create important new technologies that solve pressing biomedical problems.”
In recognition of the gift, UF officials will seek the necessary approvals to name the atrium the Broad-Bussel Atrium.
The gift is eligible to be matched by the State of Florida’s Alec P. Courtelis Facilities Enhancement Challenge Grant Program, which would increase the amount of the gift to $1.7 million.
The Shepard Broad Foundation contributed $500,000 to UF in 1995 toward the construction of the McKnight Brain Research Institute building on the UF campus. This gift was matched by the Courtelis Program, which brought the total to $1 million. The 210,000 square foot project was completed in 1998.
To find out how you can help support The UF Biomedical Sciences Building contact the College of Engineering office of development (352) 392-6795
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