The Institute of Biosciences and Bioengineering was established in 1986 in recognition of the revolutionary advances in biotechnology, and with the purpose of building on existing strengths in biochemical and biomedical engineering and biosciences at Rice. The goal of the Institute is to provide an organizational framework for fostering interaction among the biological, chemical, and engineering disciplines, both between research groups at Rice and between life scientists, bioengineers, and medical colleagues at neighboring institutions. In addition, the Institute has a mission to strengthen the cross-disciplinary educational programs at the undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate levels.
Members of the Institute include 29 faculty from the departments of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, and Electrical and Computer Engineering, and 17 faculty members from the Texas Medical Center, providing a broad mix of interests and expertise. The biochemical and biomedical faculty in Chemical Engineering is the second largest in the country. Research is carried out in three major laboratories that make up the Institute: The Cox Laboratory for Biomedical Engineering, the Mabee Laboratory for Biochemical and Genetic Engineering, and the Greenwood Laboratory for Basic Medical Science. Faculty can be members of more than one laboratory.
Since its inception, the Institute has made major advances toward its goals. Following are highlights of some of these accomplishments.
In 1989 efforts were begun to create a world class state-of-the-art biotechnology facility to house the Institute of Biosciences and Bioengineering. This new $25-million 108,000 square-foot facility, the George R. Brown Hall, was completed in 1991. The Institute moved into George R. Brown Hall in August of that year.
The establishment of George R. Brown Hall as the home for the Institute of Biosciences and Bioengineering was a pivotal point in the development of the Institute. It established a physical identity and symbolized a standard of excellence for the Institute. And it provided a means of greatly increasing the potential for interdisciplinary interaction by physically bringing life scientists and bioengineers together into one facility.
Quite symbolically, the location of the building between the biological sciences building on the west and the chemistry and engineering buildings on the east reinforces the Institute's mission to bridge these disciplines.
Building Dedication and Symposium
On November 1, 1991 George R. Brown Hall was formally dedicated. In conjunction with the dedication of the building, the Institute presented its first symposium entitled "Perspectives in Biotechnology: Cross-Disciplinary Research and Training in Biosciences and Bioengineering." The principal speakers at the symposium were Dr. Purnell W. Choppin (President, Howard Hughes Medical Institute), Dr. Daniel I.C. Wang (Director, Bioprocess Engineering Research Center, MIT), and Dr. David Botstein (Chair, Department of Genetics, Stanford University). These inaugural events were well attended and provided a means of formally introducing the Institute to the Rice community and the greater Houston scientific and business communities.
R&D Laboratory of the Year Award to George R. Brown Hall
George R. Brown Hall, the new home of the Institute, received the 1992 "Laboratory of the Year" Award from Research and Development magazine and was featured in the May 1992 issue, as well as in the April 1992 issue of Architecture magazine. The June 25, 1992 issue of Nature magazine featured a 15-page section titled "Science in Texas" in which the Institute and George R. Brown Hall were featured.
NIH Biotechnology Training Grant
In 1990, the Institute was awarded a five-year grant from the National Institutes of Health, National Institute of General Medical Sciences, for a Biotechnology Training Program. The program provides support in a variety of disciplines for graduate students interested in a research career in biotechnology.
First Institute Publications
To increase the visibility of the Institute to the outside world, to improve communication with Institute donors and the greater Rice community, and to help recruit graduate students, the first graduate recruitment poster and Institute brochure were produced and distributed in the fall of 1991 and spring of 1992, respectively.
Faculty Recruitment
The existence of the Institute and the new facilities in George R. Brown Hall were instrumental in the successful recruitment of several new faculty members. During the first five years of the Institute, six new faculty were recruited to the Institute member departments. Drs. Michael Gustin, Richard Gomer, Janet Braam, and Michael Stern joined the Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, and Drs. Jacqueline Shanks and Antonios Mikos joined the Department of Chemical Engineering. The Institute continues to attract bright new faculty members, with the addition in 1993 of Drs. Susan Gibson and Edward Nikonowicz