Wright State University constructing pioneering neuroscience-engineering building

• published: 20 Jan 2015
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Wright State University broke ground on a new state-of-the-art laboratory building expected to become a beacon for translational neuroscience and engineering research. The April 25 groundbreaking launched construction of the $37 million, four-story Neuroscience Engineering Collaboration Building. It is expected to be finished by April 2015. President David R. Hopkins called it a one-of-a-kind facility. “It’s about being bold in the community,” Hopkins said. “That’s the attitude we have at Wright State.” Robert Fyffe, Ph.D., vice president for research and graduate studies, said the building is a recognition of the high quality of work done by Wright State neuroscientists and engineers and their potential. “It’s a major commitment by Wright State to invest in research, which is going to be critical for the future of the university and the region,” Fyffe said. The four-floor, L-shaped NEC Building will feature 90,000 square feet of laboratory and office space and will initially provide work areas for more than 100 faculty, staff and students. A 105-seat auditorium will provide space for seminars, workshops and advanced teaching sessions. The building will be strategically honeycombed with offices, student work areas and laboratories outfitted with sophisticated equipment, enabling neuroscientists, engineers and physicians to work side by side. “The goal is that these scientists, engineers, physicians will work together to address significant problems and through the synergies, resources and talent available in the NEC Building come up with very creative transformational answers to the questions,” said Fyffe. The building, in the heart of the campus, will feature a four-story atrium and an outdoor terrace above the auditorium to encourage random interactions between the neuroscientists and engineers. It will be connected by tunnel to other campus buildings. Fyffe said the synergies and “neighborhoods” created by the NEC building will serve as a model for how things are done in the future. “There is no single department taking over a wing of the building or a floor of the building; it’s highly integrated,” he said. “It’s not just the faculty interacting; it’s the students and the other people in the building. We have a terrific opportunity here to develop a new sense of community on campus.” Neuroscientists, physicians and engineers will focus on research and development of new technologies to improve treatment strategies and medical devices especially related to the fields of neurological disorders and traumatic injuries. The goal is to help speed the commercialization and clinical use of research and the new technologies.