Donors Fill UA's Biochem Needs

By David Wichner, ARIZONA DAILY STAR

The state is spending hundreds of millions of dollars for new university research buildings and other initiatives to try to make Arizona a biosciences powerhouse.

Yet when the University of Arizona found itself short on funds for a new course designed to help biochemistry students work in real-world laboratories, it was private individuals who stepped in with $55,000 in donations for new equipment.

Local real-estate broker and UA alum Bob Davis and a group he recruited raised and donated $45,000. Former pharmaceutical executive Ed Bessey donated $10,000.

The problem began unfolding in 2001, when the UA launched Biochemistry 463A, a course to teach biochemistry majors hands-on lab methods and the science behind them, said Tom Baldwin, head of the university’s Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics.

The course is sorely needed, Baldwin said, citing a work-force-development report released this week by the Battelle Memorial Institute that found Arizona biology students need more hands-on lab training.

A similar course had been taught at the UA in the 1980s but was dropped in the 1990s, Baldwin said, adding that he made restarting the course a priority when he came to the UA in 1999 from Texas A&M University.

But last spring, department officials realized demand would far exceed available lab resources, and there was no money left in the department or UA College of Science budget to purchase needed equipment.

Although students pay a $150 lab fee, Baldwin said it can’t be used to buy equipment and only partially pays for consumable lab supplies like chemicals.

The junior-level course became required this year for students who enrolled in the biochemistry program in 2001. But there was only enough lab equipment to serve about half of the 30 students enrolled, with enrollment expected to grow to 50 by next spring.

"The money that had been put in my budget to do that was gone,” Baldwin said, adding that the department had planned on gradually building the inventory of equipment needed for the program. With no where else to turn, Baldwin and other officials put together a proposal to raise $80,000 from private donors.

Baldwin approached Bessey and after a visit in May, Bessey donated $10,000 to the cause.
Baldwin also approached Davis, a broker with CB Richard Ellis-Tucson, asking for help.
A few months later, Davis donated $45,000 — much of it his own money with contributions from friends.

Davis, a former UA swimming coach and associate athletic director, said the time is now for private individuals to contribute to Arizona’s effort to become a biosciences powerhouse, citing the billions of dollars being invested in biotech initiatives in other states.

"There’s huge amounts of money pouring in, and everyone is supporting biotech in other states, with the ultimate goal of bringing those good jobs in,” Davis said. “If we’re going to be competitive, private individuals and the private and public sectors are going to have to work together.”

With the donations, Baldwin said, the school was able to buy enough equipment to serve 30 students, including several $10,000 spectrophotometers - lab workhorses that analyze samples based on the amount of light of given wavelengths they absorb.
Another $25,000 is being sought to buy equipment to serve the expected enrollment growth, Baldwin said. Those interested in donating can reach Baldwin at 621-9185 or via
e-mail at tbaldwin@u.arizona.edu.

Reprinted by permission of the writer and the Arizona Daily Star.