Rutgers University Chemistry News Winter 2014

utgers University willbreak ground thisSpring on a new state-of-the-art science build-

ing on the Busch Campus toserve the students, faculty, external partners and staff ofthe Chemistry and ChemicalBiology (CCB) Department.

“CCB is a national leaderwhen it comes to educatingchemistry students at all levelsas well as securing federalfunding for research that is vitalto many technology-based industries,” said CCB Professor

Alan Goldman. “We are very excited about the future of thechemistry program at Rutgers because the infrastructure com-mitment enhances our ability toeducate students and advanceresearch that creates the materi-als and products of everyday life,from the invention of new syn-thetic polymers to innovations inhealth care and energy.”

The $115 million, 130,000-square-foot signature researchand teaching facility will completeconstruction in 2016 and be located just north of the depart-

ment’s principal site, the Wright-Rieman Chemistry Complex.

“Chemistry is really the cul-tural gateway to the sciences,”said Professor Jean Baum. “Thenew building reaffirms the uni-versity’s commitment to servingthe needs of STEM education—science, technology, engineeringand mathematics—as well as theessential role and impact ofchemistry in a modern researchand teaching university of Rutgers’ caliber.”

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R U TG E R S , T H E S TAT E U N I V E R S I T Y O F N EW J E R S E Y • P I S C ATAWAY

Chemistry & Chemical BiologyNews

WINTER 2014VOLUME 15

This newsletter is published foralumni and friends by the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

610 Taylor RoadPiscataway, NJ 08854

For questions or suggestions,please contact:

Roger A. Jones, ChairPhone: 848/445-1554Email: [email protected]: chem.rutgers.edu

Coordinator: Karen FowlerFaculty Liaison: Eric GarfunkelWriter/Editor: Fred Feiner

Building Groundbreaking Launches A New Era of Chemistry Research & Education

An artist’s rendering of the new CCB building.

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Flad Architects

Welcome to the Winter2014 edition of Chemistry &Chemical Biology (CCB) News,our special issue on the newbuilding planned for the depart-

ment. We hope to breakground on the new facilityby Spring 2014.

As many of you areaware, the department’scurrent facilities have notkept up with the cuttingedge research and educa-tion that has become thehallmark of CCB. Faculty,students, and industry part-ners have long contendedwith aging conditions, as

well as power outages andleaks—constant reminders thatthe existing structures cannot accommodate the modern tech-niques and equipment so criticalto advancing chemistry.

Rutgers needs to invest innew chemistry facilities—labs,classrooms, and common areas

Chemistry & Chemical Biology P I S C A T A W A Y

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designed to foster and enhanceresearch, collaboration and educa-tion, and attract leading scholarsand students. Seventy-five per-cent of our peer institutions havetaken this step in the last decade.Our faculty and staff are proud ofthe fact that CCB has continuedto provide world-class educationand research programs while cop-ing with the facilities challenges.

But growth of the studentpopulation—the number of students in Rutgers chemistrycourses has risen from 4,800 to7,200 per semester in the last sixyears—and the realization that ourresearch and recruitment pro-grams would suffer if the facilitieswere not modernized havebrought us to this exciting periodin time.

By passing a critical higher ed-ucation bond issue in Fall 2012,New Jersey voters demonstratedtheir support for improving our fa-cilities—a clear and powerful mes-

sage, particularly in these difficulteconomic times. It is important toremember, however, that thebond is designed to cover the“bricks and mortar” for the newbuilding. Additional funding isneeded to transform it into a trulypremier research facility, one ca-pable of supporting modernchemistry research agendas, bothnow and long into the future.

We are counting on ouralumni and friends to support thisvaluable investment in the futureof Rutgers and New Jersey. Pleasejoin us in getting behind this im-portant endeavor as we preparefor the challenges that lie in frontof us. I hope you enjoy thenewsletter’s inside look at our new home and we welcome yourassistance moving forward.

Sincerely,Roger A. JonesProfessor and Chair

Establishing A Cutting Edge Infrastructure

Cris Pannullo

Flad Architects

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Chemistry & Chemical BiologyP I S C A T A W A Y

he new Chemistryand Chemical Biology

(CCB) building will behighly sustainable, seeking

LEED (Leadership in Energy andEnvironmental Design) Golddesignation for energy efficiencyfrom the U.S. Green BuildingCouncil. The design of the facil-ity is led by Flad Architects, anationally recognized firm spe-cializing in the planning and design of innovative facilities forhigher education, science andtechnology. R. G. VanderweilEngineers (MEP) and LanganEngineering (Civil) are part ofthe team and contribute to thesustainable design.

Flad Architects Project Designer Garrick Maine, AIA,LEED AP provides an insidelook at the design of the iconicnew CCB building in the follow-ing Q&A.

Why is it significant that aneducational facility of thistype be designed with greenprinciples in mind?

The reason is twofold. First,buildings in the U.S. account forabout 40% of primary energyuse, 60% of electricity demandand nearly 38% of total annualcarbon dioxide emissions. Re-search laboratories represent aclass of construction that usesfar more energy, typically 5 to10 times as much, and waterper square foot than the aver-age building due to increasedequipment, process and ventila-tion demands. Because of theirintense resource utilization, labsrepresent a special challengeand opportunity in sustainabledesign.

Second, as an academicbuilding, the CCB facility pro-vides Rutgers with an opportu-nity to visibly demonstrate itsexpressed commitment to envi-ronmental stewardship. AsDavid W. Orr, chairman of theEnvironmental Studies Programat Oberlin College, points out,“Buildings have their own hid-den curriculum that teaches usas effectively as any coursetaught in them.”

Exploring sustainabilitywithin the higher educationarena is important because ofthe impact colleges and univer-sities make on the economy,the environment, and commu-nity. Campuses represent anenormous investment in build-ing stock and land. The actionsuniversities take in building andmaintaining that stock are im-portant to the environmentalhealth of the broader society.Even more importantly, collegesand universities in the U.S.teach 14.5 million studentseach year, and the lessons theyteach will play a critical role inhelping shape a more sustain-able future.

What are some of the greendesign elements that will beutilized in the new building?

The building’s landscape de-velopment is designed to en-courage biodiversity andmaximize water conservation.To the greatest extent possible,native plant species will beused and no potable water willbe used for irrigation. All land-scape development adheres tothe Rutgers Stormwater & Land-scape Management Masterplan.Stormwater runoff for the north-

ern half of the site isbeing directed to anew bioretention area.

Attention to a build-ing’s orientation and itsplacement on the sitecan impact energy per-formance. The CCB’slong, narrow footprint,aligned along an east-west axis, and its predominantly northfacing glazing reducesinternal solar heatloads while maximizingdesirable daylightingand outdoor views. Selection of a spectrally selective, low-emissivity (low-e) glass and ahigh reflectance, ENERGY STARcompliant roof membrane fur-ther reduces the solar heat gain.

The building’s structure isprimarily concrete, with somesteel. Steel produced in an elec-tric arc furnace is typically com-posed of 90% recycledmaterials and is itself recyclable.Concrete reinforcing is also almost entirely composed ofscrap metal. Concrete has theadvantage of being composedlargely of materials produced locally, which has the benefit of reducing energy expended in transportation.

The building systems thatprovide ventilation, air-conditioning, water and lightingrepresent the largest area of opportunity for green laboratorydesign. Among the many efficiencies that will be achievedin this area are:

• Utilization of the most advanced air handling systemsavailable today will target labo-

Designing an Iconic Science Building with the Future in Mind

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Flad Architects’ Garrick Maine, AIA,LEED AP

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Flad Architects

ratory ventilation energy de-mand, which can account for asmuch as 30% to 50% of a lab-oratory’s total electricity usage.

• Provision of heat through anearby high temperature hotwater cogeneration plant.

• Centralized lighting controls,maximizing natural lighting anddaylight dimming will be usedto manage electricity use. Auto-matic lighting controls will notbe used in areas where auto-matic lighting control could pose

a threat to the safety of occu-pants, such as certain laboratoryspaces.

• The building exhaust system iscomprised of two large energyrecovery units. These are custom fabricated units that will provide sensible recovery as high as 90 percent of theavailable energy.

Will the building be using recycled materials?

There is no opportunity toreuse an existing building andlittle realistic, cost-effective op-portunity for the use of salvagedand/or reused building materi-

als. However, significant oppor-tunities exist to incorporate recy-cled content building products.While specific product selectionshave yet to be made in manyinstances, major sources of re-cycled content materials include: nearly all ferrous metalproducts (i.e. steel structure,metal studs, metal doors andframes, metal wall panels, andhardware), blanket insulation,acoustic ceiling panels, resilientsheet flooring and carpeting,synthetic gypsum board, andsome composite wood productslike particleboard and mediumdensity fiberboard.


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State Commissioned Artwork to be Featured at CCB

he new CCB buildingwill feature commissioned

artwork that reflects the disci-pline of Chemistry and the varied work and research beingconducted by the departmentwithout being too literal. Byearly 2014, Rutgers expects torequest proposals from a hand-ful of artists selected by theChemistry Building Arts Inclu-sion Committee and state officials.

The artwork, which will becreated and designed to en-hance the exterior of the build-ing site and/or to enhance theinterior lobby space, will be the12th art project at Rutgers NewBrunswick/Piscataway campusfunded under the New JerseyArts Inclusion Program. Visit thefollowing website to view theexisting collection of publicsculpture at Rutgers:http://nb.rutgers.edu/visit-us/discover-our-public-sculpture

Since the passage of the ArtsInclusion Act in 1978, this pro-gram has led to the commis-sioning and installation of

hundreds of artworks in state fi-nanced construction projects.Under the law, up to 1.5% ofthe state-funded portion of theconstruction budget is dedi-cated to art. The New JerseyState Council on the Arts willmanage the artist selectionprocess and monitor the CCBprojects in collaboration withRutgers faculty and staff and

Flad Architects.The timeline for the develop-

ment of the art project will beindependent of the building’sconstruction schedule. For more information on theproject, please contact RutgersSenior Landscape ArchitectLawrence Porter, ASLA, LLA [email protected] or 848/445-2520.

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An abstract human figure in motion created by Ralph Helmick at the BiomedicalEngineering Building, Signal is the most recent sculpture at Rutgers createdthrough the New Jersey Arts Inclusion Program.

Nick Romanenko

DESIGNcontinued from page 3

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Future opportunities to

take part in discovery, innova-tion and industrycollaboration are

just getting strongerevery day.

Students Look Forward to New Science Hub for CCB

he new Chemistrybuilding will offer many

benefits to students whenit opens its doors in 2016,

ranging from smart classroomsto collaborative spaces to state-of-the-art labs. Both graduateand undergraduate students arelooking forward to the new facilities.

“The building will not onlyserve as a means for Rutgersstudents to continue conductinggroundbreaking research intheir respective fields, but willprovide a more collaborativeenvironment,” said Allison Faig,President of the Rutgers Chem-istry Graduate Student Associa-tion. “The field of chemistry isbecoming more interdisciplinaryand this collaborative atmos-phere will allow for students tolearn techniques and ideasfrom different areas of chem-istry, providing them with di-verse experiences and a morewell-rounded education to prepare them for their futureendeavors.”

Rutgers Chemistry Ph.D.candidate Paul F. Smith agrees.

“Arguably, graduate studentshave the most to benefit from anew chemistry building at Rutgers,” Smith said. “As some-one who works full time on synthesizing pure materials andrunning experiments undercarefully controlled conditions, astate-of-the-art research facilitywould greatly improve the workenvironment. It's not a coinci-dence that most highly re-garded research universitieshave modern, high-tech chem-istry resources, so it’s pleasingto see Rutgers commit to devel-oping a new building.”

Other planned features in the new building include groundlevel core facilities, a new audito-rium, class 100 chemistry cleanroom, x-ray crystallography labo-ratories, microscopy suite andlaser, mass and NMR spec-troscopy laboratories.

The new environment haseven recent graduates likeChemistry Class of 2013 gradu-ate Emily Buginsky excitedabout the future.

“I think the new building isgreat; I am actually jealous ofthe future chemistry students!”said Buginsky, who is now astudent in the Rutgers GraduateSchool of Education. “As always,it's a little sad because I havemany fond memories as an undergrad in the chemistry

building, but now new under-grads can make their memories.The building is being designedwith extensive student inputand will function better and inspire other students to getmore involved with lab workand chemistry.”

“It’s definitely an exciting timeto be studying and researchingchemistry at Rutgers,” added undergraduate student Chris Kaplan, a senior graduating inMay. “Rutgers has always beenone of the best universities inthe country for students inter-ested in chemistry and science.Future opportunities to take partin discovery, innovation and industry collaboration are justgetting stronger every day.”

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Students (clockwise from upper left) Allison Faig, Emily Buginsky, Paul F. Smithand Chris Kaplan.


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Garfunkel. “The building will emphasize collaboration, which iskey in today’s world of scientificdiscovery. Combining instructionalspaces, flexible research laborato-ries, state-of-the-art core facilitiesand multiple common areas willsupport an interdisciplinary sci-ence environment.”

Facilities will feature newsmart classrooms and collabora-tive spaces that will enable mod-ern teaching tools and methodsstrengthening the mentoring andtraining of Rutgers undergraduateand graduate students. Core facil-ities will include a microscopysuite, as well as laser, mass andNMR spectroscopy laboratories, x-ray crystallography laboratories,and a class 100 chemistry cleanroom.

Large research laboratorieswill be flexible, with space, equip-ment, and furnishings reconfig-urable as scientific needs andresearch teams evolve. Equally

The growing STEM demandis driven by America’s technol-ogy based economy that em-phasizes education in relateddisciplines. The chemical indus-try employs more than 1 millionU.S. workers directly, generatestrillions of dollars yearly in rev-enue, and is responsible for over10 percent of exports. New Jer-sey has the largest concentrationof chemical industry research,development, and production inthe nation, with direct employ-ment of over 60,000 and morethan $1 billion in state and localtax contributions.

“We are creating a signaturescience building for Rutgers University that will help serve theincreasing student demand forChemistry educational programsand result in a better-trainedworkforce,” said Professor Eric

important, specialty rooms willmeet the particular needs of instrumentation that require highvibrational, thermal, humidityand/or electromagnetic field sta-bility. The design of space, light,and pedestrian flow will optimizeinteraction and productivity forfaculty, students and external partners from both academia andindustry.

“Today’s modern scientificmethods rely on critically sensitivetools that require extremely stableenvironments to function prop-erly,” said Associate ProfessorKiBum Lee. “We are very excitedabout the future of chemistry research at Rutgers because theunique requirements of each research endeavor is being incor-porated into the new building’sdesign. It is impossible to predictwhat tomorrow holds, but we willhave the infrastructure in place tomeet any challenge.”

CCB large research laboratories will be flexible and reconfigurable as scientific needs change.

Flad Architects

GROUNDBREAKINGcontinued from page 1

“Today’s modern scientific methodsrely on critically sensitive tools thatrequire extremely

stable environmentsto function properly.”

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Flad Architects

THE FUTURE OF CHEMISTRY

WE HOPE THE ENTIRE CCB FAMILY WILL CONSIDER SUPPORTING THE DEVELOPMENT OF OUR NEW HOME.There are multiple opportunities for alumni and friends to support the new building with perhaps the most significant being a variety of naming opportunities from our new lobby and auditoriumto several centers and innovation zones, including a Drug Design Center, an Energy Institute, an Imaging Center, a Sustainable Chemistry Institute, a Chemical Biology Laboratory, an OrganicMicrofab Cleanroom, and a Bio-nanochemistry Suite.

Institutions interested in learning more, should contact Paul Mouravieff, Director of Development, at 848/932-2351 or [email protected]; individuals should contactEmily Miller-Gonzalez, Director of Development, at 848/932-6455 or [email protected].

Department of Chemistry and Chemical BiologyRutgers, The State University of New Jersey610 Taylor RoadPiscataway, NJ 08854

Non-Profit Org.U.S. Postage

PAIDNew Brunswick, NJ Permit No. 157

Watch your mail for a special groundbreaking ceremony this Spring for the new CCB building. Wewill be hosting a special event to commemorate this historic department milestone and hope theentire CCB family of alumni and friends will be able to join in the festivities. We also invite you toregularly visit http://www.sas.rutgers.edu/cms/chembldg/ – a special website for our friends to stayup to date with building progress and to communicate with us to discuss how you can participate.

BreakingGroundSPRING 2014

Flad Architects