Feature: A New Era of Science at MSU

            A new burst of scientific activity on campus revolves around MSU’s new Biomedical and Physical Sciences Building.

            There are many languages spoken in MSU’s newly constructed Biomedical and Physical Sciences Building (BPS), and they aren’t just English, Spanish, Korean or any of the myriad tongues heard across campus.

            Physiology is spoken here, as is physics, microbiology, biochemistry and a wealth of other disciplines that have come together in the middle of the MSU campus in what has quickly become the heart of the university’s science center.

            More than three years in the making, the BPS – as its occupants call it – officially opened for business last April, and instantly began making a world of difference in how science is done at Michigan State University.

            “The BPS is the anchor of the MSU science campus,” says Wolfgang Bauer, chairperson of the Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, one of several academic departments that now call the building home.  “It establishes physical connections between five of the core science departments and thus naturally fosters interdisciplinary collaborations.”

            In addition to physics and astronomy, the BPS also houses the departments of Physiology and Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, is home to a number of interdisciplinary projects and will be the remote observing facility for the soon-to-be completed SOuthern Astrophysical Research (SOAR) telescope, an observatory located in the Andes Mountains of Chile that will bring the wonders of our Milky Way Galaxy and beyond to MSU astronomers and students (see sidebar).

            Standing six stories tall and housing more than 200,000 net square feet of space, the BPS is located on Wilson Road, just east of Farm Lane.  It offers easy access to the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory, the Plant and Soil Science Building, Abrams Planetarium, and the Chemistry and Biochemistry Buildings, to which it is physically attached with above- and below-ground walkways.

            Along with its futuristic laboratories, spacious and modern faculty offices, and the breath-taking atrium that greets visitors as they enter the building, it also has lecture halls that are friendly to both student and teacher.  The three main halls have capacities of 300, 175 and 64, and each seat is equipped with outlets for laptop computers.

            “One advantage of this building is it allows students from each lab to talk with one another on a regular basis,” says Jerry Dodgson, chairperson of microbiology and molecular genetics. “That’s very important because they tend to live in their labs, and if their labs are in two different locations, they rarely see one another.”

            Holding a prominent position on the first floor of the BPS is the science library, a 7,600-square-foot facility housing more than 100,000 volumes. It’s the first library on campus to be equipped with all-compact shelving and provides 24/7 access to all faculty and students.

            The building even has its own coffee shop and a rooftop observatory used by astronomy classes and for social functions.

            Total cost of the building is around $93 million. However, two-thirds of that was picked up by the state of Michigan, with the remainder being covered by private donations.

            “This fulfills a long-held dream of MSU’s basic science community,” says George E. Leroi, dean of MSU’s College of Natural Science. “It provides an opportunity to bring together scholars from varied disciplines in superb facilities and a synergistic atmosphere to tackle problems of scientific importance.”

            Here are some of the “scholars from varied disciplines” who are advancing knowledge in this new facility.

“I APPRECIATE THE AESTHETICS”

            While most people would call him a physics professor, Simon Billinge refers to himself as an experimental condensed matter metaphysicist. What he does, in his own words, is “study the atomic structure of stuff.”

            In order to do this, you need two things – technology and a place to think. For Billinge, the BPS offers both.

            “For my work, I use an X-ray machine that has to be in a shielded, lead-lined room,” he says. “Here I have a custom-designed room which is much easier to use.”

            He also likes the ambience of the facility.

            “If you spend a lot of time thinking and solving problems, it’s nice to have a place to go like the atrium,” he says. “I also have this beautiful view out my window. It makes a big difference. I appreciate the aesthetics of the place.”

“SEALED THE DEAL”

            Robert Wiseman uses big machines to take pictures of little things, namely molecules that are important in physiologic function.

            As director of the Molecular Imaging Research Center, Wiseman oversees an array of equipment, including high-field magnetic resonance imaging machines that snap images of objects ranging from the human body to mice and even cells at their most basic – and smallest – level.

            “What we try to do is visualize aspects of gene expression that will help in the diagnosis or, better yet, prevention of a disease,” he says.

            Recently recruited from the University of Washington, Wiseman says he came to East Lansing for the opportunity to work with researchers who shared his interest in disease prevention and to work in one of the finest facilities in the country.

            “This building and the support for higher education embodied in the Life Sciences Corridor are what sealed the deal for me,” he says.

STRONG, HEALTHY BONES

            Physiology associate professor Laura McCabe’s interests lie in what happens to the human body in a weightless environment. She has a particular interest in bones.

            “When your bones are in space they sense the lack of gravity and your bone cells think, ‘OK, I don’t need to make more bone since I don’t have much bodyweight to support,’” she says.

            The result: For every month a person is in space, he or she experiences at least a one percent loss of bone.

            Using a grant from NASA, McCabe and colleagues are trying to figure out why this happens and what can be done about it. This is particularly important as the United States hopes to someday have a mission to Mars, a journey that takes more than a year to complete.

            One reason McCabe likes being in the BPS is it gives her closer proximity to colleagues in chemistry and biochemistry, as well as access to the Molecular Imaging Research Center.

            “Not only can we take advantage of the overlapping interests with Bob Wiseman’s team,” she says, “we can also use their imaging techniques and expertise to look at animals that are exposed to periods of weightlessness.”

“A CLUSTER OF PEOPLE”

            The BPS might seem an odd place for a veterinarian to take up residence, but John Fyfe feels right at home there.

            Fyfe is a veterinarian who also happens to have a Ph.D. in comparative medical sciences, degrees he is able to put to good use studying the genetic diseases of dogs. Among his research interests: A malady called selective intestinal cobalamin malabsorption, in which a dog is unable to absorb vitamin B-1 from food.

            “If a dog is diagnosed with this, all we need to do is give it an injection of B-12 once a month and it’s fine,” says Fyfe, who has academic appointments in small animal clinical sciences and microbiology and molecular genetics. “It’s a wonderfully treatable disease, a rarity in genetic diseases, that allows us to study the disorder in healthy animals.”

            As with his colleagues, Fyfe feels at home in the BPS because he is able to share space with people with similar interests.

            “We have a cluster of people here who are interested in genetic disease and mapping as a way of getting at the disease,” he says. “The facilities are great and the atmosphere is very nice, very professional.”

MOVING EXPERIENCES

        The vast majority of teachers, scientists and researchers who work in the Biomedical and Physical Sciences Building came there from two other locations – Giltner Hall and the Physics and Astronomy Building.

        Currently, Physics and Astronomy is completely vacated and renovations are being planned in anticipation of its new tenant: the Dept. of Psychology.

        "That department is currently dispersed around the campus in five different locations," says Bill Latta, director of Facilities Planning and Space Management. "If all goes according to plan, psychology should be able to move in by the summer of 2004."

        Giltner Hall remains in use, containing a variety of units, such as the Neuroscience Program, Aquatic Ecology, the new program in Forensic Science, and other research initiatives which are matched to the building’s capabilities.

            "This is not a ventilation-intensive building with the same sophistication as the new science building," Latta says, "and as a result, program facility needs are carefully evaluated prior to allowing a unit to move in."

            McCabe, the physiology professor studying the effects of weightlessness on bones, says in many ways she misses Giltner.

            “I was really fond of the wooden cabinets and just the character and history of Giltner,” she says. “Being some place where other scientists had been before made me feel a part of history.”

            However, she is quick to point out that she is “happy as a lark” in the new building, a place that may have brought her more than a little luck.

            “I’ve been very fortunate,” she says. “Since moving in I’ve received an NIH grant, had two papers published and got tenure.”

            A coincidence? Whatever the case, McCabe’s colleagues are hopeful that kind of luck will rub off on them.

            For additional information on the building, visit http://newscience.msu.edu.

SOAR INTO THE GALAXY AND BEYOND

            Light from a star tens of thousands of light years from Earth is captured by a telescope in Chile. That image is then beamed to a facility within MSU’s Biomedical and Physical Science Building, where it is THEN bounced to a classroom at a nearby school.

            This scenario will soon be a reality as the SOAR telescope, a 4.2-meter telescope project in which MSU is an active partner, readies for “first light” this December.

            “The building, the dome, and the telescope mount are completely installed,” says Timothy Beers, an MSU astronomer who is counting the days until the scope goes on line.

            The SOAR telescope (SOAR is an acronym for SOuthern Astrophysical Research telescope) will serve as a window to the universe, providing astronomers with some of the best views of stars within our own Milky Way and beyond, to the realm of the galaxies.

            Located near La Serena in the foothills of the Chilean Andes, SOAR will capture both optical and infrared images.

            “Once it’s completed,” says Beers, “SOAR will achieve image sharpness that in the optical will equal and, in the infrared, surpass any existing telescope on the ground.”

There are two reasons for Beers' and his fellow astronomers' excitement:

• the telescope itself. With its state-of-the-art mirror, "adaptive" optics that correct for both image motion and distortion due to atmospheric disturbances, and its computer-operated instrumentation, SOAR will capture excellent images.
• the location. At a height of nearly 9,000 feet, the Chilean Andes offer observing conditions with minimal atmospheric turbulence and interference from urban lighting. The SOAR telescope will be the first high-resolution telescope located in the Southern Hemisphere.

            What is the advantage of infrared capability?

            “This will allow us to penetrate through the dust and debris of deep space to see the star-forming regions of our universe,” Beers says. “This will give us clues to a lot of fundamental questions, including how stars and galaxies are formed.”

            One of the more unique features of SOAR is an infrared camera that was developed and built at MSU. Called the Spartan Infrared Imager, the camera is designed to produce the best possible images in the infrared band.

            Meanwhile, SOAR’s primary mirror is undergoing final polishing in Connecticut and is expected to be delivered to Chile by June.

            Other partners in the SOAR telescope project are the University of North Carolina, the National Optical Astronomy Observatories and the country of Brazil. The nation of Chile is a de facto partner.

            For more information on the SOAR telescope, visit  www.pa.msu.edu/soarmsu.

            Tom Oswald is a writer who covers health and medicine for MSU University Relations.