Latest news from º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ
14 Aug 2015
Further funding secured for º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ’s STEMLab
A quarter of a million pounds has been donated by the Garfield Weston Foundation to º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ for its new STEMLab building.
The state-of-the-art development will enable the University to enhance its teaching and learning facilities for science, technology, engineering and mathematics – known as STEM subjects.
Teaching laboratories for science and engineering, workshops, computer-aided design and rapid prototyping facilities, a design studio and informal learning spaces will all be housed in the building. It will be the cornerstone of a new student learning zone at the west end of the º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ campus.
STEMLab will also be a focal point for the University’s activities that seek to engage school-age students with science and engineering, such as the annual º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ Engineering Experience for Year 12 students and the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Top of the Bench competition. Such activities play a crucial role in helping students from different backgrounds find out more about university life and showcasing the range of careers open to STEM graduates.
In December º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ was awarded £5 million from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) for the development, which is due to be operational by Spring 2017.
Now a further £250,000 has been donated to STEMLab by the Garfield Weston Foundation, a grant-making trust which has been supporting charities across the UK for over 50 years. This new grant will specifically help equip the bio-laboratories which will underpin the University’s new degree programmes in bioengineering and biosciences. These programmes are aimed at creating graduates who will address major societal challenges relating to healthcare and healthy living.
Philippa Charles, Director of the Garfield Weston Foundation said: “This is an important project helping to build vital skills for the future and our Trustees were pleased to support º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ.”
Susan Sargent, Director of the University’s Development and Alumni Relations, added: “We are incredibly grateful to the Garfield Weston Foundation for supporting this project. STEMLab will greatly enhance the educational experience of our students, as well as play a crucial role in encouraging the next generation of scientists, engineers and mathematicians.
“We hope to find more individuals and organisations that want to support and be part of such an exciting development.”
Notes for editors
Article reference number: 15/159
º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ is one of the country’s leading universities, with an international reputation for research that matters, excellence in teaching, strong links with industry, and unrivalled achievement in sport and its underpinning academic disciplines.
It has been awarded five stars in the independent QS Stars university rating scheme, putting it among the best universities in the world, and was named University of the Year in the What Uni Student Choice Awards 2015. º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ is consistently ranked in the top twenty of UK universities in the Times Higher Education’s ‘table of tables’ and is in the top 10 in England for research intensity. It was 2nd in the 2015 THE Student Experience Survey and was named Sports University of the Year 2013-14 by The Times and Sunday Times. In recognition of its contribution to the sector, º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ has been awarded seven Queen's Anniversary Prizes.
In 2015 the University will open an additional academic campus in London’s new innovation quarter. º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ London, based on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, will offer postgraduate and executive-level education, as well as research and enterprise opportunities.
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