Assistant Professor Jill Rulfs and Associate Professor Pamela Weathers developed the proposal for "Renovation of Research Facilities in the Biology and Biotechnology Department at WPI." The laboratories were last renovated in 1974. The proposed project will impact the entire department from research labs to project labs used by the students. Three research laboratories and two common research areas on the second, third and fourth floors of Salisbury Laboratories are included in the renovation, as are a greenhouse and a microscopy suite. Completion is expected by August 1996. Construction (begun in May 1995) on an existing laboratory preparation area is nearing completion.
The Biology and Biotechnology Department has grown significantly over the last decade. "In 1987, the department graduated 12 majors," notes Rulfs. "This past year the department graduated 46 seniors and more than 88 freshmen are biology and biotechnology majors." With 255 students, the department is the fourth largest in undergraduate enrollment on campus. "All of these students have at least one year of research experience in our laboratories," says Biology and Biotechnology Department Head Ronald Cheetham. "It's imperative that our facilities be updated to provide the quality experience expected for WPI graduates."
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