Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, October 21, 1995 TAG: 9510220013
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ALLISON BLAKE
DATELINE: LENGTH: Short
Research and business will meet at the high-visibility center, as research done in the center may spin off to companies in Tech's Corporate Research Center.
It's also one of the few places on campus where undergraduate students can be part of the research-development mix.
"One of the main things this center does is expose students to the practical side: Train as well as educate," said Tracy Wilkins, the center's director.
In other words, they can go on to graduate school - or they can get a job.
Biotechnology is the growing field in which biology is applied to solve "everyday problems in health and industry," Wilkins said.
Biotechnology practitioners solve some of these problems by splicing genes.
The 45,000-square-foot center cost $9 million. Half came from a state campus bond building package, and the rest came from the federal government, Wilkins said.
In addition, the late Horace G. Fralin, a Tech alumnus and one-time board member, left $8.6 million to the university - one of the largest bequests Tech has ever received. Nearly half of that bequest will be endowment funding for center programs, such as high school teacher training or equipment purchases. |
by CNB