FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Laura Hart, 401-456-8977,
lhart@ric.edu
Gita Brown, 401-456-8465,
gbrown@ric.edu
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The Champlin Foundations have awarded Rhode Island College a $375,000 grant to renovate the introductory biology laboratory and adjacent preparation rooms in the Fogarty Life Science Building.
The introductory biology laboratory has not been modernized since its construction in 1975 and requires upgraded plumbing and electrical systems, new laboratory casework and specialized equipment, among other improvements.
“Biology and other science majors at Rhode Island College deserve to begin their career studies in a state-of-the-art laboratory,” said RIC President Nancy Carriuolo.
The college’s decision to renovate the laboratory is related to increased student interest in the biological sciences. Since 2008, the number of biology majors at RIC has grown 35 percent, mirroring national trends in life science education. RIC offers a Bachelor of Science in biology, a Certificate of Graduate Studies in modern biological sciences and a Master of Arts in biology. The college also offers a Bachelor of Science in chemistry, with a concentration in biological chemistry.
Over the past five years, the Champlin Foundations have funded a number of projects on the RIC campus, including renovations to microbiology and ecology labs, improvements to the science auditorium and computer information systems lab, and construction of a new biochemistry lab.
“The awards that Rhode Island College has received from the Champlin Foundations have helped transform the college’s STEM laboratories and classrooms for the 21st century,” Carriuolo said.
The renovated biology lab will also play a foundational role in the education of those RIC students pursuing other health science and STEM-related programs at Rhode Island College. According to “Rhode Island’s STEM Report Card,” published by the Alliance for Science & Technology Research in America (ASTRA), 26,000 STEM related job openings will need to be filled in 2018.
Established in 1854, Rhode Island College serves approximately 9,000 undergraduate and graduate students through its five schools: the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, the Feinstein School of Education and Human Development, the School of Social Work, the School of Management and the School of Nursing. For more information, visit http://www.ric.edu.
