Christie joins Rutgers officials to break ground on $115M science building

chris pedota / staff photographer

Rutgers President Robert Barchi and Governor Christie in front of a rendering of the new building on Monday.

Governor Christie and Rutgers University officials broke ground Monday on a $115 million chemistry and chemical biology building that they said will expand research and science education, lure top students and make the state more attractive to business.

With these extraordinary new facilities, Rutgers University is poised to be a national leader in terms of scientific instruction, research and federal research funding, Christie said. Rutgers will be positioned to compete with and even surpass its peer institutions, making it an even greater magnet for top students from New Jersey and, indeed, from around the world.

The four-story, 145,000 square foot building at the Piscataway campus will offer classroom, laboratory and support space that will allow Rutgers to improve research projects in drug design, alternative energy, biomaterials and other areas, officials said.

Rutgers University President Robert Barchi said the new facility will help train tomorrows business leaders, inventors and technology experts. The chemistry and chemical biology building demonstrates our commitment to continued excellence in science education and research, he said.

Rutgers graduates in science, technology, engineering and math have high employment rates, and the majority stay within the area after graduation, according to the university. The university claims that 75 percent of peer intuitions have invested in new chemistry facilities in the past decade and that this project will help the school compete for top-notch faculty and students.

Christie said the project, funded largely by the 2012 Building Our Future Bond Act, was part of his commitment to invest in higher education.

It is a smart thing to do to invest in the future of the state and to continue to have a well-educated public, he said.

Richard Falk, acting executive dean of the School of Arts and Sciences, said the project was needed because the university has more than 5,000 students enrolled in chemistry each semester. He also hailed the achievements of many of the faculty in science research, and noted that several serve on the Board of Governors.

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Christie joins Rutgers officials to break ground on $115M science building