Structural Biologists, Welcome Home...

01-07-2010

On October 2, 2009 Purdue University proudly dedicated a new addition to Discovery Park: The Wayne T. and Mary T. Hockmeyer Hall of Structural Biology. In this $34 million state-of-the-art facility Purdue's world-class structural biologists will be working on cutting-edge research. Research will encompass curing the common cold, developing drugs to fight the dengue and West Nile viruses and identifying ways to treat cancer more effectively through a better understanding of the metabolic process.

This 21st century facility will allow our structural biology team to be at the forefront in future advancements within structural biology. A special thanks to Drs. Wayne and Mary Hockmeyer for their generous $5.3 million gift and to the over 200 other Purdue alumni and friends that made this facility a reality.

Research at the Forefront

The three-story, 65,690-square foot building houses 16 offices for structural biology faculty, 33 offices for students and staff, and three conference rooms. Around 150 faculty staff and researchers will use the facility when it becomes fully operational.

Eight specialized laboratories and eight general laboratories will facilitate work in protein production, cell and virus culture, large molecule crystallization, X-ray diffraction, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, electron microscopy, and analytical and biophysical instrumentation.

Markey Center for Structural Biology team has four electron microscopes, three of which are advanced high-end cryoelectron microscopes that allow researchers to see nearly down to the molecular level. Each microscope takes up a small room, and the slightest vibrations can disturb the images produced.

The Wayne T. and Mary T. Hockmeyer Hall for Structural Biology reestablishes Purdue among the nation's top-teir structural biology research facilities for addressing the challenge of prevention and the treatment of widespread disease. It also becomes a strong recuitment and retention tool for faculty, researchers, and students in this growing field.

-Richard Kuhn

Through a $300,000 gift, the Science Women of Purdue became the first group of women in Purdue's history to raise funds for a named space on the West Lafayette campus. For their contribution, the laboratory space that will house the electron microscopy suite will be named in their honor to inspire future generations.