Old spaces give way to new laboratories

Nam-Hai Chua, head of the Laboratory of Plant Molecular Biology, had a number of growth chambers on the B level of the Flexner Extension, top left. His new space, on the C floor of Weiss Research Building, was previously used as storage space, top right. After installing new lighting and climate controls, bottom, the biggest challenge was moving the growth chambers to their new home. With a permit from the New York City Department of Transportation, the university shut down a southbound lane of the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Drive in order to move the equipment by truck. Dr. Chua’s lab is on the 16th floor of Weiss.

Fernando Nottebohm’s Laboratory of Animal Behavior was moved from the second floor of Smith Hall to the seventh floor of Weiss. The new space, previously an out-of-date laboratory, was one of the simpler renovations completed this summer. In addition to new cabinetry and shelving, a chemical fume hood was installed. The new lab shares the floor with the Genomics Resource Center and the High Throughput Screening Resource Center.


The sound chambers of A. James Hudspeth’s Laboratory of Sensory Neuroscience were moved from the C floor of Smith Hall to the first floor of Detlev W. Bronk Laboratory, a space most recently occupied by the now defunct New Media and Design Resource Center. Planning and Construction first hired consultants to determine if the space would be suitable for the sound chambers, and then brought in a specialized Canadian company to line the walls and ceilings with welded, seamless metal sheeting — top right — in order to insulate the sound chambers from electromagnetic waves. Space for Elaine Fuchs’s and Marcello Magnasco’s labs now occupies the first floor of Bronk as well. Drs. Hudspeth and Fuchs have commissioned renowned graffiti artist Coco 144 — also known as Robert Gualtieri, electrician in Plant Operations — to paint a mural in the corridor that connects the three labs.