IAST to be complete by next fall

Institute keeps U. a leader in science and technology Construction of the Institute for Advanced Science and Technology is proceeding on schedule and will be completed by the fall of 1997, according to Vice President for Facilities Management Art Gravina. The building, which will be located at the corner of 34th Street and Smith Walk, will combine research opportunities for students in the schools of Engineering and Applied Science, Arts and Sciences and Medicine. The original plan for the building provided space for bioengineering, chemical engineering and chemistry, according to Provost Stanley Chodorow. But the final plan utilizes a significant portion of the bioengineering space for the Institute of Medicine and Engineering, which is a new joint program between the two schools, Chodorow said. The Institute was funded in part by a $10 million donation by University Board of Trustees Chairperson Roy Vagelos. Additional money from foundations, corporations, the Medical School and a grant from the U.S. Air Force will also finance this construction, Chodorow explained. "The completion of this project will give the University unparalleled leadership in scientific and technological research that will allow the integration of various sciences," Vagelos said in October when ground was broken. Presently, the project is undergoing bulk excavation. "This will get us to the elevation to start drilling the cassions to support the building structure," Gravina said. "The structure will be started sometime in the early spring." Although the recent snowstorms have not helped the construction effort, no significant time delay has occurred so far, Gravina added. But because the project is still in its early stages, many students walk by the construction sight with puzzled expressions on their faces. "I have no idea," said Wharton freshman Bruce Rossignol. "Maybe it's a hall for students to study in." Another student, embarrassed that she thought an art building was going to occupy the space, refused to give her name. College freshman Michael Keyes said he did not know anything about the IAST construction project, either. "I haven't the foggiest," Keyes said. "Is there a sign that's going to tell me what it is and that it's going to be done in about eight years?" Actually, according to Gravina, a colored sign will be placed on the site identifying it as the Roy and Diana Vagelos Laboratories of the Institute for Advanced Science and Technology sometime this week. The sign will include "a large color rendering of the finished building and a statement that reads, 'this site will be developed by the University for a laboratory research building'," Gravina said. University officials have high hopes for the building's success. "I think the project will give scientific research at Penn a shot in the arm," said former Vice Provost for Research Barry Cooperman. Chodorow said he hoped the building would "create modern laboratories for three critically important science and engineering programs, while uniting the efforts of the three schools. "Penn has been a leader in biomedical science since the 18th century," he said. "[The] IAST will ensure that this remains true in the 21st century."