Media Advisory: U of A to celebrate new Grand Challenges Research Building

Oct. 22, 2024

Media Advisory: U of A to celebrate new Grand Challenges Research Building

What: Media are invited to a celebration showcasing the University of Arizona's new Grand Challenges Research Building. Eliott Cheu, interim senior vice president of research and innovation, and Thomas L. Koch, dean of the James C. Wyant College of Optical Sciences, will speak. Media will have the opportunity to take a guided tour.
When: Thursday, Oct. 24. Ribbon cutting event at 4:30 p.m., followed by media availability and guided tours.
Where: Grand Challenges Research Building, 750 N. Cherry Ave.
RSVP: RSVP to Craig Reck, craigreck@arizona.edu

TUCSON, Ariz. – Members of the media are invited to tour the University of Arizona's Grand Challenges Research Building, a facility dedicated to supporting expansion of the James C. Wyant College of Optical Sciences and the Office of Research Innovation and Impact, as well as U of A research centers that address society's most pressing questions, possibilities and issues as they evolve. After a ribbon cutting, Cheu and Koch will speak with members of the media, who can then take a guided tour of the building.

The seven-story, 115,000-square-foot facility is located just north of Cherry Street Garage on North Cherry Avenue between East University Boulevard and East Fourth Street and is connected via walkway to the Meinel Optical Sciences Building. Housed in the Grand Challenges Research Building are laboratories, offices and research facilities that support several interdisciplinary programs, including the Center for Quantum Networks, the New Frontiers of Sound Science and Technology Center, the Center for Biomedical Informatics and Biostatistics and the Space4 Center. Research in those units includes the development of advanced optical microscopes, as well as the use of lasers, lenses, spectrometers and other light-manipulating systems to design equipment for manufacturing, medicine, communications and space exploration.

The U of A broke ground on the Grand Challenges Research building in fall 2021. Faculty and their research groups moved in before the fall 2024 semester. ZGF Architects and BWS Architects designed the building. Kitchell Contractors was the construction firm for the project.

Media who plan to attend should RSVP to Craig Reck, craigreck@arizona.edu.

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Media contact:
Craig Reck
Research, Innovation and Impact
craigreck@arizona.edu

The University of Arizona, a land-grant institution with two independently accredited medical schools, ranks among the nation's top universities, according to U.S. News & World Report. Established in 1885, the university is widely recognized as student-centric and has been designated as a Hispanic Serving Institution by the U.S. Department of Education. As a leading Research 1 institution, the University of Arizona ranks in the top 20 among all public universities with $955 million in annual research expenditures according to the National Science Foundation. The university advances the frontiers of interdisciplinary scholarship and entrepreneurial partnerships as a member of the Association of American Universities, the 71 leading public and private research universities in the U.S. and Canada. It benefits the state of Arizona with an estimated economic impact of $4.1 billion annually.