Contact: Bob Ratliff
Sen. Thad Cochran will be among the dignitaries on Tuesday [April 7] helping Mississippi State dedicate a new 58,000 square-foot research facility.
Cochran will be keynote speaker for the 1 p.m. official opening of the university's Diagnostic Instrumentation and Analysis Laboratory. The $8.8 million facility is located adjacent to campus in the Mississippi Research and Technology Park.
Mississippi's senior United States senator was instrumental in securing federal support for the lab, whose research includes the development of systems and equipment for managing hazardous waste.
U.S. Department of Energy administrator Gerald Boyd and state Sen. Glenn Hamilton of Maben will join MSU President Malcolm Portera for the ceremonies on the front lawn of the laboratory, which is located at the western end of the research park. A reception and tour of the building will follow the program.
DIAL has been a major College of Engineering research unit since 1980, making it the university's longest continuous research program. Primary support for the one-of-a-kind program comes from the technology development program of the Energy Department's Office of Environmental Management.
Made possible with matching funds from the Energy Department and Mississippi Legislature, the brick and steel structure houses faculty and administrative offices, classrooms, a 100-seat auditorium, a variety of technical research labs, and support facilities.
For additional information on the dedication program, telephone (601) 325-2105.