The Penn State Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences celebrated 30 years since its 1996 founding as the Life Sciences Consortium with a reception at the Bryce Jordan Center's 1855 Club.
Remarks for the occasion were made by Huck Director Christina Grozinger, Publius Vergilius Maro Professor of Entomology; Senior Vice President for Research Andrew Read, Evan Pugh Professor of Biology and Entomology and a former director of the Huck; and Provost Fotis Sotiropoulos.
Attendees included current Huck employees, leadership and distinguished former faculty members such as Stephen Benkovic, Atherton Professor and Eberly Chair in Chemistry; and Eva Pell, the former senior vice president for research and dean of what is now the J. Jeffrey and Ann Marie Fox Graduate School, who led the expansion of interdisciplinary research units at Penn State during her tenure.
"The Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences is truly unique," Grozinger said. "No other research institute in the world explores the full breadth of the life sciences. Importantly, our researchers often define new areas of life science through their interdisciplinary collaborations. The Huck's ability to innovate and be a global leader in life science research for the last 30 years is a result of the incredible people we are able to bring together and the partnerships they create. ... At the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, our people, our core facilities, our research buildings, our interdisciplinary graduate degree programs, and our centers and institutes all work together to drive innovation in research, education and translation."
In addition to the remarks, attendees were shown a video outlining the history of the Huck Institutes and highlighting the early contributions of Emeritus Professor of Microbiology and Biotechnology Jean Brenchley, the founding director of the Penn State Biotechnology Institute, a precursor to the Life Sciences Consortium.
