Brockman receives over $11 million in NIST grant

By Josh Rutenberg     8/20/09 7:00pm

Despite a tough economy and cutbacks in spending, Rice received $11.1 million in funding this summer from the National Institute of Standards and Technology to aid in construction of the Brockman Hall for Physics. Rice competed for and was awarded one of NIST's construction grants as part of federal stimulus funding. A previous donation from the A. Eugene Brockman Charitable Trust allowed for construction of the building. With a new, additional source of funding, money originally slated for use on Brockman Hall construction will be freed up for use on other projects, a spokesperson for the development staff, who asked to remain anonymous, said.

Brockman Hall, which will serve as a new research facility and nexus for the Physics and Astronomy department, began construction in February. The building is scheduled to be completed by early 2011, and will house physics researchers from the Department of Physics and Astronomy, as well as photonics and nanoengineering researchers from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Director of News and Media Relations B.J. Almond said.

In addition, the new building aims to provide a better atmosphere for conducting sensitive experiments. According to the Construction at Rice Web site, Brockman Hall will incorporate vibration and noise-controlled underground labs, as well as better temperature, humidity and airflow controls.

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Brockman Hall is also in the process of obtaining the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification by doing things such as recycling construction waste and installing more efficient bathroom facilities.

Biochemistry and Cell Biology Professor Kathleen Matthews, who stepped down last year as dean of Natural Sciences, has been working for nearly a decade on the project, Dan Carson, dean of the Wiess School of Natural Sciences said.

The construction of a new physics building will provide a centralized location for faculty and students of the Physics and Astronomy department, which was spread from Herzstein Hall to Dell Butcher Hall.

Carson noted that the centralization was a necessary step.

"In spite of [the faculty's] enormous successes, location has provided challenges and confusion," Carson said. "To consolidate will be a step forward."

Like at the recently-finished BioScience Research Collaborative, not all researchers will move in right away.

"Some researchers will have ongoing projects, and may not want to move in immediately if it will affect them," Assistant Vice President for Facilities, Engineering and Planning Doug Tomlinson said.

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