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The Structural Biology Center Phase III

Submitted/Kevin Boatright

The Structural Biology Center Phase III is nearing completion, and is scheduled for occupation this month. It will house the High Throughput Screening Laboratory and Center for Excellence in Chemical Methodologies and Library Development.

SBC Phase III nearly ready for occupants to move in

Moving day is planned for mid-June at the Structural Biology Center Phase III on KU's west campus, according to George Wilson, associate vice provost for research and graduate studies.

"Phase III is pretty much done and ready for occupancy," said Wilson, "but it will take time to install equipment, test various systems and ensure everything's as it should be. We expect the whole building to be operational by the end of the month."

SBC Phase III is a $16-million, 35,000-square-foot drug discovery research facility closely aligned with KU's nationally ranked School of Pharmacy. It will house the High Throughput Screening Lab and the NIH-funded Center of Excellence in Chemical Methodologies and Library Development. Both units now occupy space in KU's Life Sciences Research Laboratory at Bob Billings Parkway and Wakarusa Drive. SBC Phase III also features two organic chemistry labs and space for the Office of Therapeutics, Discovery and Development.

Construction of the $5 million SBC Phase IV is also under way, Wilson said, with completion anticipated in mid-October. Blake Peterson, who joined KU from Penn State in January as the Kansas Bioscience Authority's first Eminent Scholar, will be the principal occupant, along with his graduate students.

The Kansas Bioscience Authority is funding the Phase IV construction. The Phase III construction is funded by bonds, to be repaid from research grant F&A reimbursement.

Preliminary plans call for a formal dedication of both facilities Oct. 23 during Homecoming week.

TOPONYMS:

The steam-tunnel repairs on the front lawn of Watson Library overlap the site of the first Snow Hall, the natural history building that opened in 1886. By the 1920s, the classroom and lab facility had deteriorated so badly that its stone walls had "quivering tendencies" in high winds, among other failings. New Snow Hall opened in 1930, and the old building was demolished. Its stone was saved and recycled to face the Military Science Building, completed in 1943. For more, visit www.buildings.ku.edu.