Why do humans age? How do humans see? How do humans develop from a single cell into about 100 trillion cells?
These are the types of questions Brown University’s scientists are pursuing in order to better understand the human body.
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With the opening this month of the Sidney E. Frank Hall for Life Sciences, they have a brand-new, $95 million, 169,000-square-foot facility in which to do so – and, perhaps, to cross paths and inspire one another.
The five-story glass and brick building will house 39 neuroscientists, biochemists and cell and molecular biologists. It contains 62 offices, 30 laboratories, 10 conference rooms, one 98-seat seminar room, and one biomedical imaging facility.
In addition, it houses a new 3-Telsa MRI machine that will allow scientists to peer into the bone and soft tissue of living humans.
The purpose of the new building is to foster cross-departmental collaboration, Brown said in a news release. It also is to showcase “Brown’s commitment to improving and expanding teaching and research in the life and health sciences.”
During the past four years, the university has hired 19 tenured professors in the biological sciences, according to the news release, and it has plans to hire 20 more.
“Fueled by dramatic advances in molecular biology and the determination of the complete DNA sequences of many complex genomes, biology is now taking its rightful place alongside physics and chemistry as a truly quantitative science,” Francis S. Collins, director of the National Human Genome Research Institute, said in the release.
“The generation of students who work within the walls of this marvelous new building,” Collins added, “will likely be the first to have a real understanding of the details of how life works.”
Frank Hall, at 185 Meeting St., was designed by Ballinger, a Philadelphia-based architectural firm, and constructed by the Providence-based Gilbane Building Co.
The building was named after Sidney E. Frank, who attended Brown University in 1942, but left to serve in World War II. Frank – who made his fortune in the liquor importing business, and who passed away this year – has given more to Brown than anyone else.
In May 2004, he donated $20 million to the university for the construction of a new academic building. Three months later, he presented a $100 million gift to fund scholarships for undergraduates. Last year, he donated $5 million to support the university’s hurricane relief effort.
“The Sidney E. Frank Hall for Life Sciences is a superlative achievement and a fitting legacy for an exceptional entrepreneur and strong supporter of the University’s mission,” said Brown President Ruth J. Simmons. “The groundbreaking work that our faculty and students will undertake here will demand great vision and perseverance.
“In name, scale and purpose, the Sidney E. Frank Hall for Life Sciences is a fitting memorial to Mr. Frank’s energy and creativity and a welcome addition to our campus.”
