changing the world What your investment in UT makes possible HEALTH REVOLUTION
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FORTY ACRES BUILDING BOOM
it. But we can replicate it and repeat it here.” Replicating and repeating is a major theme in the labs, which is why in some ways they resemble the set for a medical TV show as much as they do a hospital wing. As students practice their techniques, they can record themselves with strategically mounted cameras, and then watch, adjust, and repeat until they feel they’ve perfected their skills. At that point they can share their recordings with their instructor for feedback and discussion. “The old way, we used to stand over them with a checklist and make them a nervous wreck,” Goldstein says.
FROM IDEA TO MARKETPLACE
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he medical school isn’t the only construction zone on campus. Cranes and scaffolds dot the Forty Acres, with brand-new buildings on the way for Engineering and Business. Meanwhile, an 86-year-old Natural Sciences building is undergoing extensive renovations to enhance learning and the student research experience. Each project showcases Longhorn-style innovation, community, and discovery. Each also counts on the loyal support of alumni and friends.
imaging equipment; and • The adjoining Center for Health Services, which will transform the patient experience and introduce new models of care and medical innovations. Want to get in on the action before the students arrive? Naming opportunities are available for all three of the Dell Medical School buildings and for key outdoor spaces and artwork. Visit dellmedschool.utexas.edu/buildings for more information.
First, the biggest. As Dell Medical School, above, prepares to welcome its inaugural class of 50 students in July, three complementary structures are simultaneously taking shape along Red River Street: • An education and administration building, where students will take classes and collaborate with peers and faculty members; • A research building, where faculty members and students from the medical school and other UT colleges and schools will conduct pioneering research using advanced labs and
Work is also quickly advancing on the Cockrell School of Engineering’s Engineering Education and Research Center (EERC), below left, which broke ground adjacent to the engineering complex in February. When the EERC opens in 2017, it will further the Cockrell School’s commitment to project-based learning and will transform engineering education at UT through cross-disciplinary teaching and research. The facility will feature modern classrooms, student project centers, sophisticated teaching and research labs, and open, collaborative spaces where students can study, socialize, and share ideas. More than 600 alumni, company par tners, and friends of UT have made gifts and pledges totaling approximately $70 million to make this facility possible. The Cockrell School continues to seek support for the EERC and the hands-on student activities it will house. There are multiple naming oppor-
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tunities available. Visit engr.utexas.edu/eerc to learn more.
When Dell Medical School’s initial three buildings open next year, their 600,000 square feet of education, care, and research space will represent the lynchpin of Austin’s emerging downtown medical district. Coming in 2017, the neighboring Dell Seton Medical Center at The University of Texas, built and run by Seton Healthcare Family on UT land through a partnership with Central Health, will be a 211-bed teaching hospital and Level 1 Trauma Center that will replace the existing University Medical Center–Brackenridge. Beyond that core, UT leaders envision the surrounding area as an innovation zone where biotechnology startups can collaborate with the university and its partners. They hope that type of synergy will nurture a robust health-tech and entrepreneurial ecosystem around the school. To identify and accelerate research that holds promise, the medical school also has partnered with the Cockrell School of Engineering, the Colleges of Natural Sciences and Pharmacy, and
the university’s Office of Technology Commercialization to launch Texas Health Catalyst. Under the initiative, UT faculty members of all disciplines are encouraged to submit proposals for projects that target a specific health need and have the potential to become a usable product. An advisory panel whose members have experience bringing products to market reviews the proposals, and selected applicants receive customized guidance. Finalists selected to move beyond the consultation phase then compete for funding to support key preclinical steps and further advancement. What sets the catalyst apart is that it connects industry experts with research scientists who may have a truly innovative idea but lack experience with the regulatory approval process or with product development and marketing. The advisory panel draws from the life sciences and health technologies in Austin and from areas including biotech, pharmaceuticals, intellectual property, and regulatory law nationwide. “The program is a significant step in exposing the best that UT has to offer to Austin’s burgeoning life sciences industry,” says Mini Kahlon, Dell Medical School’s vice dean of strategy and partnerships. The idea, she says, is that by working together, academia and industry will drive each other’s growth. President Fenves, a structural engineer, has a long track record of collaboration with colleagues from other fields. He says he is excited that through Texas Health Catalyst, every part of campus can work with industry to help people get healthy and stay healthy. “This shows the power,” he says, “of building a future-focused medical school on the strong foundation of UT Austin.” Learn more about Dell Medical School’s interdisciplinary collaborations and how you can support them at dellmedschool.utexas.edu.
The area around the medical school is envisioned as an innovation zone where startups can collaborate with UT and its partners.
creditS: Clockwise from
below: Renderings courtesy College of Natural Sciences; Cockrell School; Dell Medical School; McCombs School
Also due for completion in 2017, Robert B. Rowling Hall, above, is under construction at the southwest corner of campus to house the McCombs School of Business’ Texas MBA and Texas Master of Science and Technology Commercialization programs. Providing an iconic new UT gateway, the building will double the space for Texas Executive Education programs, and, in conjunction with the AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center next door, will enhance the university’s convention and conference capabilities. The projected cost for the project is $186 million, of which about $60 million has been raised through corporate and individual gifts. Robert Rowling, BBA ’76, his wife Terry Hennersdorf Rowling, BBA ’76, and their family gave the initial gift of $25 million. Other space-naming opportunities are available. Visit mccombs.utexas.edu/rowlinghall.
remember well, hosting an average of 10,000 students daily for classes, seminars, and laboratories in the center of campus. Welch Hall is home to the highly ranked Chemistry Department, whose faculty members conduct front-line research and help solve real-world issues. Just as Welch was built in three phases—in 1929, 1959, and 1978—its aging infrastructure will also be renovated in phases. The first, updating the 1929 wing, began this past summer and includes new classrooms, modern research and teaching areas, dedicated labs for the popular Freshman Research Initiative, and modernization of the mechanical systems. The Texas Legislature approved $75 million in construction bonds toward the estimated $125 million it will cost to enhance and modernize the building. Donations of all sizes, including space-naming gifts, are welcome to help make up the remainder. Visit newwelchhall.utexas.edu.
One of UT’s largest academic buildings, Robert A. Welch Hall, right, is a place many Texas Exes
Changing the World is produced by the University Development Office. Please send your feedback and suggestions to editor Jamey Smith at jjsmith@austin.utexas.edu. For more news and information about giving to UT, visit giving.utexas.edu.
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