Recently, Washington State University held a celebration, with dignitaries on hand, for its new Plant Sciences Building groundbreaking. This will be a state-of-the-art home for research in the state and is the fourth of six buildings planned for the V. Lane Rawlins Research and Education Complex on the Pullman, Wash., campus.

Dignitaries attending the groundbreaking, shown in the photo above, include Rich Koenig (left), interim chair of Crop and Soil Sciences, Horticulture and associate dean of Extension; Derek Sandison, director, Washington State Department of Agriculture; Jim Moyer, former dean of the College of Agricultural, Human and Natural Resources Sciences, Ron Mittelhammer, former dean of CAHNRS; Dan Bernardo, WSU provost; André Wright, dean of CAHNRS; Kirk Schulz, WSU president; Washington state Sen. Mark Schoesler; Mike LaPlant, president, Washington Farm Bureau; Mary Dye, WASDA; Brett Blankenship, board of regents, WSU; and Bryan Slinker. dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine.

The new $52 million Plant Sciences Building received approval from the state Legislature this year. The facility will be a four-story, 95,000-square-foot building that supports the state’s $51 billion food and agriculture industry by providing a modern research venue for faculty and students. Work in the facility will focus on plant biochemistry, plant pathology, horticulture, and crop and soil sciences. Currently those programs are housed in Johnson Hall, built in 1959; and Clark Hall, which opened in 1971.

During the groundbreaking, WSU President Kirk Schulz noted WSU’s goal to be recognized as one of the top 25 public research universities in the country by 2030. “I look forward to seeing the exciting work that we continue to support Washington agriculture and keep us regionally and globally competitive,” he said.

André Wright, dean of the College of Agricultural, Human and Natural Resource Sciences, noted that the new facility will help keep the state’s food and agriculture industries globally competitive. “Our land-grant mission is dedicated to research, Extension and outreach that not only tackles the state’s challenges, but moves us into the future,” he said.

Wright noted that investing in new state-of-the-art facilities is critical to that mission. This investment will help attract and retain top scientists, and provide education space for the next generation of researchers and industry professionals.

Wright added that these facilities also “help us carry out our ultimate goal — using science to solve the challenges we face as a state, nation and world.”

Source: Washington State University