With the opening of the new Roy J. Carver Co-Laboratory for plant biotechnology, faculty, students and outside companies will be supplied with state of the art facilities and equipment for plant research.

The Co-Laboratory, short for collaboration laboratory, is associated with the Plant Sciences Institute, and has been created in the hope that it will encourage the growth of plant biotechnology in Iowa.

“ISU has always been strong in plant sciences,” said Patrick Schnable, professor of agronomy and director of the Center of Plant Genomics. “The Plant Science Institute was what originally brought [Iowa State] to the forefront.”

Faculty and staff have been moving into the building since last July. The dedication ceremony was held Oct. 18.

Ericka Havecker, graduate student in genetics, works in the new Roy J. Carver building and said the building’s design allows for good interaction between scientists.

“[The new building] allows … students to interact with industrial researchers, in addition to university researchers,” Havecker said. “It’s a chance to gain more insight into research problems or future careers.”

The 45,000 square foot building cost about $17 million to construct. As well as being the new home to the Plant Sciences Institute, the Roy J. Carver Co-Laboratory also boasts four new biotechnology facilities.

Receiving the most attention is the Innovations Development Facility, which will unite scientists from both the university and the biotechnology industry, Schnable said.

“An established company may want to set up a small research group on campus,” Schnable said. “They may need access to our facility or scientists.”

This facility will also promote the transformation of the university’s research into a commercial venue by encouraging the creation of new businesses.

“A new company could be created by faculty or graduate students if they find a new foundation [on which to base] the start-up of a new company,” Schnable said.

Some of the most exciting aspects of science, and especially biology, are when people work across disciplinary boundaries and incorporate experiences from different backgrounds, he said.

The other three new facilities include the Pioneer Hi-Bred International Genomics Laboratory, a proteomics laboratory and plant growth facilities.

The Pioneer Laboratory primarily focuses on the study of RNA, Schnable said.

The Proteomics Laboratory is directly connected to the Pioneer Lab, and specializes in genetic proteins.

“These services are available to anyone who wants to [know] which proteins are turned on/off in a plant or other organism,” Schnable said.

Environmentally-controlled facilities designed to study plant growth are also located in the co-lab.

“[The plant growth facilities] are large contained boxes, the size of a walk-in closet,” Schnable said. “[The plants] grow inside the boxes so we can control light, temperature and humidity to get repeatable results.”