Shifting Paradigms, Putting Innovation First

Goal: $5 million to support advanced research and teaching facilities

Raymond St. Leger, professor of entomology, investigates several varieties of ancient, mocrpscopic fungi that kill insects. His goals include examining pathogen genome evolution, investigating the adaptive processes that determine host range usage and making these pathogens
even more lethal by genetic engineering.

The faculty members of the College of Chemical and Life Sciences make the impossible possible. For example, by comparing the genomes of related species, faculty can achieve paradigm-shifting insights into the genetic basis of differences among species and the mechanisms of evolution.

With every new discovery, the pace of science quickens. Discretionary dollars enable the college to fund academic and research programs in an entrepreneurial way. Examples include powerful new technologies such as tandem mass spectrometry and micro-arrays; new research challenges such as avian flu and global warming; and new national and international initiatives in renewable fuels and counterterrorism.

Gifts that name buildings, institutes and programs provide crucial discretionary dollars. The new Bioscience Research Building provides many naming opportunities, from the building itself to spaces within it, such as the large lecture hall, seminar rooms, or specialized research areas.