New skills laboratory, research space expansion well underway

Rendering of new clinical skills laboratory

An architectural rendering of the new clinical skills laboratory and expanded research space currently under construction at the UF College of Veterinary Medicine. (Courtesy of Walker Architects and Oelrich Construction)

The UF College of Veterinary Medicine is undergoing significant building expansions to make room for increased student access and preeminence hires.

Currently, construction teams are adding two floors to the Veterinary Academic Building.

“The new second floor will be a state-of-the-art clinical techniques and simulation learning center, which will allow our students 24-hour access to practice skill-student learning objectives, in addition to formal instruction in those skills,” said John Haven, UF College of Veterinary Medicine facilities director.

New research lab space will be added to the third floor, specifically for a new faculty member, Dr. Roy Curtiss, and his team, hired under UF’s preeminence initiative. Prior to his start with UF on Jan. 1, Curtiss hailed from Arizona State University. He served as the Director for the Centers for Infectious Diseases and Vaccinology and Microbial Genetic Engineering in the Biodesign Institute and professor of Life Sciences in the School of Life Sciences.

Each floor is approximately 5,000 square feet. The second floor will be completed by the end of May 2015; the third floor scheduled for completion this fall.

Other construction projects at the college include completing an environmental toxicology building. This is slightly over 5,000 square feet and will provide housing for Dr. Christopher Vulpe, another UF preeminence initiative hire. Vulpe comes to UF by way of University of California Berkeley, where he was a professor in the Department of Nutritional Science and Toxicology and an associate professor and toxicologist in the Agricultural Experiment Station.

This interim building — with the goal of a much larger interdisciplinary building in the future — will help to decompress the growing number of faculty, staff and graduate students and allow for more offices, conference room space, and to better leverage existing laboratory space. It will be completed by February 2015.

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