Purdue University Northwest Chancellor Chris Holford believes the school’s students deserve the best, and a new microbiology lab at its Westville campus shows that commitment.
“Our students deserve the best training possible, and this lab provides them with the right type of space in a state-of-the-art facility, with new equipment to provide exceptional training,” Holford said. “This is more than just modernizing space — it’s really a symbol of possibility and progress at (the Westville campus).”
The microbiology lab was created from two existing classrooms during the university’s summer break, and PNW has already held classes there. The university’s fall semester started Monday, according to its website.
PNW staff and alumni, on Wednesday, participated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony in the new microbiology lab, which is located in the technology building on the Westville campus.
PNW spokesman Kale Wilk said the project cost $2 million, which came from donor and university funding sources.
The microbiology lab will host various science classes, including general education life sciences, genetics, microbiology for nursing and advanced molecular labs. It can also hold 24 students at a time and features various equipment for science students.
The lab’s previous classroom space had all concrete block walls, and the university knocked some down to put in windows. Holford said this was a conscious effort by PNW, allowing those passing by to see what students are working on in the lab.
“Very few people understand what a scientist does because it’s an invisible type of profession,” Holford said. “By bringing windows into the space, we allow students from the outside to see students training in here, being mentored, doing research with our faculty, and we demystify the idea of science as something that goes on in a space that’s not accessible to everybody.”
Holford believes the success of new PNW spaces will lead to more renovations around campus. The renovations show the commitment PNW staff have to provide more opportunities for students, Holford said.
“This is more than just modernizing space,” he said. “It’s really a symbol of possibility and progress here at Westville.”
Jose Sanchez, dean of PNW’s College of Engineering and Sciences, said Wednesday that he’s excited to see what the space will provide current and future students.
Sanchez started as dean on May 1, he said, and the microbiology lab project started during his first couple weeks on the job. He’s ready to watch students utilize the space and is happy that it’s completed.
“For our community, what does it mean?” Sanchez said. “It means that students will train here, and they’re going to enhance the capacity of what’s happening in the region.”
Sanchez sees PNW as the economic engine of Northwest Indiana, he said Wednesday, and he thinks staff have to continue to strive to improve what’s already being done.
“(Northwest Indiana employers will) hire our graduates, and they’ll stay here in jobs because they like living in this region,” Sanchez said. “That’s why we’re excited because we’re making a lot of possibilities for the region, and we’re preparing the students right here in LaPorte County.”