Dates being set for the Replacement Research Facility

The Replacement Research Facility

The fence is coming down and the plants are blooming around the former construction site. It won’t be long until people are occupying the Replacement Research Facility, which from the outside looks just about finished.

Substantial completion of the fire-damaged fifth and sixth floors, which make up a state-of-the-art vivarium, is set for Nov. 26. Construction work on laboratory research floors one through four is slightly ahead of the vivarium schedule and should be substantially complete within the next few business days. That milestone is contingent on the two emergency power generators passing their operational testing set for this week.

The final completion date for all six floors of the entire 200,673 gross square-foot building is set for Jan. 3, 2008.

“The difference between substantial completion and final completion is that substantial means the space is fit to occupy on that date, if we choose to do so. However, substantial completion also contractually allows for an additional 30 days, plus or minus, for the general contractor to finish installing, repairing, or replacing items brought to their attention, through submission of the architect of record’s generated punch list. Generally, punch list items entail addressing finishes related work scopes that need to be brought into compliance with project design drawings and specifications,” explained Tony Lentola, senior project manager.

Move-in dates for the first occupants are now being worked out, but no animals will move into the two-story vivarium until January.

Connections linking the Medical School Building to the RRF, to encourage pedestrian flow between the buildings, are expected to open following substantial completion. Connections to the northeast and northwest sides of the RRF are located on the second, third, and fourth floors of the Medical School. In addition, there will be card-reader access on the northeast side of the RRF on the seventh floor of the Medical School Building, linking to the sixth floor of the RRF.

Another important date for the building has been set – Friday, Dec. 14, which will be the ribbon cutting, with formal remarks at 11:30 a.m. and tours and refreshments to follow.

“The opening of this building marks a major milestone in the Medical School’s history – the first new building since the school was completed nearly 30 years ago,” said Dean Giuseppe Colasurdo.

The total project cost is $80,530,000, which is covered in part by tuition revenue bonds, insurance claims, grants, and permanent university funds. The architect is WHR Architects and the contractor is Vaughn Construction.

A worldwide search for researchers has been chaired by Dr. Samuel Kaplan, chair of the Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics.

“We had about 350 applications, and some were from very high quality applicants,” he said, adding that a number of candidates were brought in who specialize in microbiology, neurobiology, and biochemistry.

Dr. Jianping Jin, assistant professor in biochemistry and molecular biology, is the first hire. Jin received his Ph.D. from Texas A&M University, and is coming to the Medical School following postdoctoral fellowships at Harvard Medical School, Baylor College of Medicine, and Cold Spring Harbor laboratory.  His research has played a major role in understanding how DNA damage signaling controls DNA replication, and he has identified novel proteins that are mutated in certain forms of cancer, such as colon cancer and melanomas.

“With his track record of publications, including many in high profile journals, and the strong letters of support written by investigators who know him well, there is ample evidence that Jianping is an exceptionally talented individual with an outstanding future in biomedical research. We are fortunate to have recruited him to our school,” said Dr. Rodney Kellems, chair of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Two other recruitments from this initial search – in neurobiology and anatomy and in microbiology – are under way. Occupants of the building will come from new recruitments in combination with the relocation of Medical School Building-based researchers. The goal is to maximize use of space and scientific interactions in both the Medical School Building and the RRF, treating the facility as one Medical School Building. Approximately 30 investigators will be housed in the RRF when fully occupied. 

 -D. Brown


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Medical School ranks 7th on top 10 list

The September issue of Hispanic Business magazine ranks the UT Medical School as 7th on its list of those that promote and encourage a diverse community where Hispanic students can thrive.

The Medical School moved up from its rank as No. 8 on last year’s top 10 list.

“We are very proud of this accomplishment,” said Dr. Judianne Kellaway, assistant dean for admissions. “Our faculty, students, and staff have worked ardently in order to enhance our diversity mission here at UT Houston, and we are so happy to be recognized by Hispanic Business magazine for these efforts.”

Joining the UT Medical School at Houston on the “Best Schools for Hispanics” listing are sister institutions The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston and The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.

Institutions were ranked using data points from variables including enrollment, faculty diversity, student services, recruiting, retention rate and reputation.

The diversity statement published in the magazine states that the UT Medical School at Houston demonstrates high-quality education in a supportive environment. The diverse student body is 20 percent underrepresented minorities, and students actively participate in the National Network of Latin American Medical Students and community outreach, such as the Houston Hispanic Forum.

Hispanic students make up 12 percent of the medical school’s enrollment, and Hispanic faculty account for 7 percent of the school’s full-time educators.

For more information on rankings and university profiles, visit http://www.hispanicbusiness.com.

-M. Raine

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Schultz Wins Seeds of Hope Award for Pioneering Research

Dr. Stanley G. Schultz

Dr. Stanley G. Schultz, a world-renowned investigator, educator, and administrator will be honored on Sept. 28 for research that led to improved health conditions for people living in poverty.

The Houston chapter of RESULTS will present Schultz with a Seeds of Hope Award during Building Champions to End Poverty, its annual dinner and program, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, 1700 Smith St. Dikembe Mutombo of the Houston Rockets also will receive an award for his contributions to improving health and ending poverty at the 2007 benefit dinner. A reception begins at 6:30 p.m., and dinner will be served at 7 p.m.

“I was privileged to direct some of the pioneering research that led to the breakthrough discovery that a simple solution of table salt, sugar and baking soda could prevent death from dehydration in those suffering from diarrhea,” said Schultz, the honorary chair of this year’s RESULTS benefit.

“In 1984, RESULTS achieved its first major victory by creating a Child Survival Account within our nation’s foreign aid budget. This account made our discovery and other lifesaving services available to millions of children in the developing world,” said Schultz, the H. Wayne Hightower Distinguished Professor of the Medical Sciences and the Fondren Family Chair in Cellular Signaling. “Oral rehydration therapy has saved more than 40 million lives over the past 30 years.”

The local award is one of numerous honors Schultz has received for his lifelong work on the mechanisms of sodium and glucose-coupled absorption in the small intestine. Most recently, Schultz, a professor and former dean of the UT Medical School, received the prestigious Prince Mahidol Award in Medicine for his basic research that led to the development of oral rehydration therapy. King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand presented the award to Schultz Jan. 31, 2007 at the Grand Palace in Bangkok.

RESULTS is a network of volunteer citizen advocacy groups that works with Congress to fund effective, long-term solutions to ending poverty in the United States and throughout the world. Access to basic education, health care and economic opportunities are among the grassroots organization’s priorities.

To attend the RESULTS benefit dinner, please register by Sept. 24 by calling Claudia Morgan at 713.668.1209 or David Schubert at 713.665.7866. Reservations also may be made by e-mailing claudiamorgan@comcast.net or davidjudy@earthlink.net. Donations will be accepted to help expand RESULTS’ efforts to end poverty. For information, visit http://home.austin.rr.com/resultstexas/Houston_Fundraiser_P1.htm.


-M. Raine


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