Lawrence Technological University's Life Sciences programs have been given the breath of life thanks to an anonymous $3 million gift.
The generous gift will help make Lawrence Tech a major player in Michigan's emerging life sciences industry. It will also help the university expand its expertise outside the areas it's known for, such as engineering and architecture.
The money will be used to upgrade existing life sciences facilities, build a new life sciences laboratory and create a $1 million endowment fund. That fund will provide money for endowed professorships, start-up funds for new faculty, research supplies and equipment. There are also plans to establish an institute of molecular medicine in the university's College of Arts and Sciences.
The school has already begun committing itself to the life sciences field. It created a new bachelors degree in molecular and cell biology last year, as well as creating a biomedical engineering degree (its fastest growing degree program) in the College of Engineering.
Lawrence Tech had already begun the process of investing in renovating its laboratories and adding several faculty members specializing in life science disciplines. School officials see nearly limitless potential in the field as the U.S. population ages and more and more baby-boomers enter retirement.
Along with working more of the life sciences into its undergraduate curriculum, Lawrence Tech also sees opportunities for establishing student internships at healthcare facilities like Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak.
"There is a biotechnology revolution under way, and molecular and cell biologists are at the forefront of today’s advances in biology and medicine," says Hsiao-Ping Moore, dean of the university's College of Arts and Sciences.
Source: Lawrence Technological University
Writer: Jon Zemke
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