JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The University of North Florida Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to open newly renovated research and teaching facilities on campus. Construction firm CPPI completed the renovation project.
The expanded facilities will serve approximately 250 undergraduate organic chemistry students each semester and support 25 faculty members. Organic chemistry serves as a foundational course for students pursuing pre-med and pre-health pathways, as well as majors in chemistry, biochemistry, biomedical sciences, behavioral neuroscience and physics.
The renovations feature an organic chemistry teaching lab built for up to 18 students, equipped with 13 chemical fume hoods, laboratory benches, sinks, and storage cabinets. The project also established an instrumentation suite and a research lab with adaptable, movable benches intended to support future faculty recruitment in emerging research fields.
Kaveri Subrahmanyam, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, noted the role of community support in developing the space. “We are excited to advance teaching and research through these state-of-the-art facilities, helping UNF attract top faculty, researchers and students,” Subrahmanyam said. “We are grateful to the donors, corporate sponsors and university partners who shared our vision and helped make this investment possible to meet the growing talent needs of the STEM, health care and health sciences sectors across Northeast Florida.”
Financial support for the project was provided through prior state funding alongside gifts from corporate and private donors. Major individual contributors included Jim Van Vleck, Dottie Dorion, Lory Doolittle, and UNF chemistry alumnus Chuck Ged. Corporate support came from Johnson & Johnson Vision and Bacardi Bottling Corporation.
In recognition of the contributions, two facilities were named the Bacardi Bottling Biochemistry Laboratory and the George H. Dorion, PhD. Chemical Research Laboratory. Corporate partners including Advanced Environmental Laboratories, Johnson & Johnson Vision and Bacardi have maintained ongoing relationships with UNF programs, including a two-semester internship program at Bacardi that has led to full-time employment for graduates.
Andy del Rosal, vice president of supply chain innovation for Bacardi in Jacksonville, spoke about the connection between university research and local industry.
“Investing in the UNF chemistry program provides a good return for UNF students as well as Jacksonville businesses,” del Rosal said. “Bacardi is proud to support the next generation of scientists who play a critical role in our society, from developing life-saving pharmaceuticals to safeguarding the water supply to improving the food and beverage products we use every day.”
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