Newest UNL building set for dedication

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By the Lincoln Journal Star

Dedication ceremonies will be Aug. 29 for the Ken Morrison Life Sciences Research Center, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's newest building.

The public dedication will be at 4:30 p.m. at the Morrison building, 4240 Fair St., on UNL's East Campus. The building is just east of the Veterinary Basic Sciences building and north of the College of Law.

The $21 million, 74,000-square-foot research facility houses UNL virologists affiliated with the Nebraska Center for Virology, one of the university's signature research programs. These faculty worked at several locations across campus before moving into the new building in April.

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The Ken Morrison Life Sciences Research Center. (Courtesy photo)

The Ken Morrison Life Sciences Research Center. (Courtesy photo)

The building provides space for the virology center to expand research on many of the leading viral threats, said molecular virologist Charles Wood, professor of biological sciences and the center's director.

UNL scientists study the molecular mechanisms viruses use to cause disease. Their discoveries could lead to new tools to prevent or treat diseases caused by HIV, human papilloma virus, herpes and other major viruses that infect people, plants and animals.

The building features full labs for 12 scientists with separate areas for virus and cell culture, cold and dark rooms, shared instrumentation facilities, a Biological Safety Level 3 laboratory suite, offices, meeting rooms and video conferencing capabilities.

The building was designed to foster interactions and collaborations among researchers, students and staff. Locating UNL virologists from different disciplines in the same building is exciting, said virologist Clinton Jones, professor of veterinary and biomedical sciences and the center's associate director.

Jones said he hopes this shared environment increases research productivity and collaborations that could lead to important discoveries and new funding opportunities.

James Van Etten, professor of plant pathology and a co-director of the virology center, said he expects the building will increase the visibility for Nebraska's virology research.

The Nebraska center includes scientists who work on viruses that infect plants and animals as well as people. Research has shown that many viruses that infect people, animals, plants, bacteria and even algae have common ancestors.

The Nebraska Center for Virology links virologists at UNL, University of Nebraska Medical Center and Creighton.

It was established in 2000 as a National Institutes of Health Center of Biomedical Research Excellence with a five-year, $10.7 million NIH National Center for Research Resources grant and earned a five-year, $10.6 million renewal in 2005.

The building is named for Morrison, a Hastings businessman, University of Nebraska Foundation trustee and longtime UNL supporter who provided the lead private gift for construction.