$45 million gift yields new research center
By Daily Bruin Staff
May 20, 1996 9:00 p.m.
Tuesday, May 21, 1996Donation for inter- disciplinary building
largest ever in UCsBy Gil Hopenstand
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
A $45 million donation–the largest charitable gift from an
individual donor in the history of the University of
California–will manifest itself in a new research facility on
campus.
The seven-story complex to be built at the corner of Westwood
Plaza and Circle Drive South will house 27 laboratories for the
UCLA Brain Institute, Neuropsychiatric Institute and Hospital,
Department of Human Genetics and the Reed Neurological Research
Center.
But what will make the Gonda (Goldschmied) Neuroscience and
Genetics Research Center at the UCLA School of Medicine unique is
what the departments will share.
The new labs will be open and departmental, integrating
researchers of divergent backgrounds.
"Our goal was to bring together scientists of different
stripes," said Allan Tobin, director of the Brain Research Center
and a force in the building’s design.
He recounted how he and the team of planners looked at research
facilities at various other universities, including UC San Diego
and Stanford University. They noticed how some working areas were
open among the disciplines.
From this, planners decided to include "interaction" zones on
each floor where scientists can interact socially, which in turn
helps them professionally.
"That’s very advantageous. It allows for the synergy that will
take place," said Tobin, explaining the benefits of joining UCLA’s
numerous academic and clinical neuroscientists. "The idea is that
genetics and neuroscience come together, and that’s what we want to
understand."
The building’s design even calls for a ground floor cafeteria
and conference center to bring scientists outside their work
environments.
"The innovative design and organization of this new research
center lays the groundwork for what we believe will be a uniquely
productive research enterprise at UCLA," said the donors  who
have requested to remain anonymous  in a statement.
The Board of Regents approved the project at their meeting last
week. Construction on the 120,000-square-foot facility will begin
in October 1996, with scheduled completion late in 1998.
The center will house research laboratories for programs such as
the Brain Research Institute, Neuropsychiatric Institute and
Hospital, Molecular Biology Institute, Department of Human Genetics
and the Reed Neurological Research Center, among others.
It will also house human genetics, neurogenetics, developmental
neurobiology and neuronal plasticity, neurobiology of cellular
communications, behavioral neurobiology, and neurobiology of
neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders.
"The field of molecular neuroscience is universally expected to
be among the most important scientific disciplines for the coming
century," Gerald Levey, provost of health sciences and dean of the
School of Medicine, said in a prepared statement.
"Research progress in this area has tremendous implications for
understanding human behavior and for treating many widespread and
currently incurable diseases and disorders. The Gonda (Goldschmied)
Neuroscience and Genetics Research Center at UCLA will be a major
hub of this international effort.
"In making this gift, the donors have shown not only tremendous
generosity, but great vision for the betterment of human health and
understanding,"Levey continued. "Because of this vision, UCLA’s
talented and diverse neuroscience and genetics community will have
a unique opportunity to foster collaborations and enhance ongoing
research programs that will ultimately improve treatments and
outcomes for patients with a variety of neurological and genetic
disorders."
The center has been three years in the planning. At one point,
university funding for the building was so bleak that planners
considered issuing a bond. But with the anonymous $45 million, UCLA
researchers can construct nearly 100,000 square feet of laboratory
space and provide working space for about 250 people.
"The gift made it possible to make a bigger, better building,"
Tobin said.
Chancellor Charles Young was pleased with news of the donation,
especially in light of the more than $130 million UCLA raised from
private gifts and pledges during the first three quarters of the
1995-96 year.
"The donors have demonstrated exceptional confidence in UCLA’s
ability to carry out its academic and research mission in service
to society. We are especially delighted to receive this milestone
contribution during what is shaping up to be a banner year for
private fund-raising at UCLA," Young said in a statement.
The Gonda (Goldschmied) Neuroscience and Genetics Research
Center, as depicted in an artist’s rendering, will house 27
laboratories and employee about 250 people.
The new center will be built at the corner of Westwood Plaza and
Circle Drive South, across from the police station.
