IMPROVING CAMPUS INFRASTRUCTURE
Some of the major improvements to infrastructure completed over the summer are very visible; others are not. Read in this issue about the many major projects completed by Physical Facilities and Information Technology Services, as well as the new programs offered by the University Center for Training and Development.
SCHOOL OF PHARMACY AND PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES OPENS NEW BUILDING
The opening of the new, $60-million School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University's Health Sciences Campus in Johnson City, N.Y., headlines this quarterly report, but there's also good news about collaborations, external funding and student successes. Read more in this issue.
SUCCESSFUL INITIATIVES SUPPORT STUDENTS
It takes donors at many levels to make Binghamton University successful, and in this issue of the quarterly report, you can read about a number of them. Whether it's AVANGRID offering full-tuition scholarships and capstone project support, or playing golf to benefit the Alumni Legacy Scholarship, the Division of Advancement works with Binghamton supporters.
BINGHAMTON RESEARCH FUNDING SETS RECORD
Binghamton University reported research expenditures totaling $47.5 million in 2017-18, an increase of about 19 percent from the previous fiscal year. The figure tops 2011-12, the campus’ all-time best year for research funding, when just over $40 million was reported. The new record, which follows several years of steady growth, is an important sign of the campus’ creativity and innovation. Healthcare research accounted for nearly a third of expenditures, with electronics packaging and systems engineering following at about 22 percent.
BAXTER THE BEARCAT BOOSTS SCHOOL SPIRIT
The Division of Student Affairs spent the summer hosting students and families for orientation and preparing for the opening of the fall semester. With some new people on board and some others with new duties, it has been a busy time. Not too busy, though, to show Binghamton University pride, as you'll read about the new Baxter the Bearcat Bench in the University Union in this issue.
STUDENT-ATHLETES CONTINUE TO SUCCEED ACADEMICALLY
Student-athletes continue to shine on and off the courts and fields. The Athletics Department sets high academic standards, and student-athletes surpass them across the board. Read about the accomplishments made by student-athletes in their sports and in the classroom – and check out the videos showcasing fall sports and the new women's head basketball coach, Bethann Shapiro Ord, in this issue.
HELPING TO MAKE THE CAMPUS MORE INCLUSIVE
The Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion works to educate and empower everyone on campus in ways that create a welcoming community. From the Udiversity Educational Institute, that holds trainings for students, faculty and staff, to the Multicultural Resource Center and Q Center, the division's offices that work to build bridges and support students though education and events such as Sundaze, part of its Welcome Week programming. Read about the division's recent initiatives in this report.
DONOR SUPPORT ADVANCES BINGHAMTON UNIVERSITY
The Binghamton University Foundation had a successful 2017-18 year, bringing in the second highest amount of cash ever in support of the University. Read the numbers in this issue of the quarterly report, and learn one way the Foundation celebrates its donors.
$30 million NIST grant for biomanufacturing
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has awarded a five-year Professional Research Experience Program (PREP) grant of $30 million to Binghamton University, Johns Hopkins University (the lead institute for the grant) and Morgan State University.
The award will allow the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Binghamton University to send a faculty member, postdoctoral fellows, and graduate and undergraduate students to NIST every year for the next five years to conduct collaborative research in standards development.
The grant provides the opportunity for Binghamton University to partner with NIST, a non-regulatory agency of the United States Department of Commerce, and the two other universities involved to develop standards for regenerative medicine and biomaterial manufacturing.
“This exciting program will enable Binghamton students, postdocs and faculty researchers to gain vital laboratory experience and play a role in advancing the field of biomedical engineering,” said Bahgat Sammakia, vice president for research at Binghamton. “Collaboration is a vital part of any researcher’s career, and it’s fantastic to see a program that puts our students and scholars in a position to work on projects of national significance.”
The principal investigator (PI) from Binghamton University is Professor Kaiming Ye from the Biomedical Engineering Department. Ye, also the director of Binghamton University’s Center of Biomanufacturing for Regenerative Medicine (CBRM), will be working with $5 million of the grant.
“This program is a natural fit for what we’ve been doing in CBRM,” said Ye. “The center was established to identify and define standards for cell biomanufacturing and tissue biofabrication and has been working with scientists at the Biosystems and Biomaterials division of NIST to accomplish this.”
The three universities will also help the researchers trained through the grant to connect with each other to further advance the field.
“The grant will provide a learning opportunity, a way to network with fellow researchers and a chance to better define the standards that all researchers will use in regenerative medicine and biomaterial manufacturing. It’s important that Binghamton University gets to be a part of that,” said Ye.