Molecular Engineering School Coming To U Of C
CHICAGO (WBBM/CBS) -- The University of Chicago has started its first ever engineering school, at the institution always known for its basic or pure research as opposed to applied or technical development.
As WBBM Newsradio 780's John Cody reports, the U of C has named University of California-Berkley professor Matthew Tirrell as founding director of its Molecular Engineering Institute.
LISTEN: Newsradio 780's John Cody reports
Podcast
At the institute, researchers will work on devices made from individual molecules so small that they can roam the body, patrolling for cancer or heart disease before they become problems.
Dr. Tirrell said the institute will work closely with Argonne National Laboratory, and could well become a nucleus for industrial development.
"It certainly can be a platform for starting new companies that bring some of these products, not only in the medical area, but in the electronics area," Tirrell said.
The institute is the largest new academic program at the U of C since the 1988 founding of the Harris School of Public Policy studies, according to a news release. The institute will have a target size of 24 faculty members, many of whom will have joint appointments at Argonne, the release said.
The new institute will be housed a new building, the William Eckhardt Research Center, for which construction will begin in September on the west side of Ellis Avenue between 56th and 57th streets.
The building will be located on the current site of the U of C Research Institute, which is being demolished.
Tirrell's appointment begins July 1.
