The University of California at Berkeley has always been known for its leadership in the sciences as well as its dedication to the environment, and now the university is bringing the two together in an impressive new renovation plan for its College of Chemistry.
This week it was announced that The Dow Chemical Company Foundation is gifting the College with $3.5 million to rebuild the undergraduate teach labs to help reduce its impact on the environment. The money will also go to an overhaul of the College’s curriculum to incorporate the principals of sustainable, green chemistry by taking advantage of modern instrumentation. 
The College currently instructs over 2,300 undergraduates every year taking courses in everything from chemistry to engineering. Of the project, College of Chemistry Dean Richard A. Mathies said, “The impact of our new sustainability curriculum will be amplified as our students take jobs in academia and begin to teach their own courses.”
We are very excited to hear about this project and can only imagine the benefits of teaching sustainable sciences in an eco-friendly environment. Dow Chairman and CEO, Andrew Liveris shared our sentiments by saying, “We are excited to partner with the College of Chemistry to bring enhancements to both the curriculum and the learning environment that will encourage students to adopt the principles of sustainable chemistry from their first day in the lab and the classroom.”
Ground was recently broken and we can’t wait to see the final results! Keep an eye on this space as we bring updates on the project along the way.
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