Milestone; Texas Tech opens new $14.3 million Bayer Plant Science Building
Texas Tech University's continued commitment to agricultural education and research took another step forward Friday (Oct. 30) with the opening of the new Bayer Plant Science Building. Thanks to Bayer CropScience, a major partner in funding agricultural initiatives both in Lubbock and within the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, the Bayer Plant Science Building will provide students with a state-of-the-art facility to learn and conduct research, as well as collaborate on projects with fellow students.
"The opening of the Bayer Plant Science Building is a significant milestone in the history of the Department of Plant and Soil Science and the College," said CASNR Dean Michael Galyean.
The addition of critically needed laboratory space and offices for faculty and graduate students will ensure the department continues to provide research solutions for the agricultural and natural resources community, he said, and will further enhance its position as a leader in research and graduate education on campus.
"We're indebted to Bayer CropScience and the many other donors to this project for their generosity and continuing support of the college's programs," Galyean said.
At a cost of $14.3 million funded from donations, including a lead gift from Bayer CropScience, the project adds more than 21,000 square feet of laboratory and office space while also renovating more than 2,400 square feet of interior and exterior space in the Plant and Soil Science Building, which houses the Department of Plant and Soil Science.
The Department of Plant and Soil Science consists of 28 faculty members, who conduct research on a large scale from the cellular level to large-scale eco-systems. The department offers bachelor's and master's degrees, as well as a doctorate and four post-graduate certification programs.
The expanded facility includes new research and teaching labs that enable the department to expand its research mission and build on Texas Tech's growing reputation as a national research university. The high-tech equipment and expanded laboratories give researchers the tools to address emerging global challenges in food and fiber production.
The new building also creates an enclosed courtyard that serves as an outdoor instructional space for Plant and Soil Science programs. Renovations inside the existing plant and soil science building connect the existing structure with the new building, as well as new offices for faculty, staff and graduate students. It also provides a new break room, accessible restrooms, infrastructure upgrades, landscape enhancements and public art.
"I greatly appreciate Bayer CropScience's continued commitment to philanthropy and Texas Tech University," said Robert Duncan, chancellor of the Texas Tech University System. "The work that will take place in this beautiful facility will change not only lives, but the face of agriculture itself."
Written by George Watson
CONTACT: Eric Hequet, Department Chair, Department of Plant and Soil Science, Texas Tech University at (806) 742-2838 or eric.hequet@ttu.edu
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Davis College NewsCenter
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