University of Delaware
Office of Public Relations
UpDate - Vol. 16, No. 24, March 20


                      New lab is 'second to none'

     The place to be on March 17 was a former farm field.
The state's entire Congressional delegation, the governor,
federal officials, several state legislators, leaders in the
poultry industry, UD trustees, donors and friends of the
University of Delaware and its College of Agricultural
Sciences gathered on the south campus to dedicate the new
Allen Laboratory.
     The 16,635-square-foot facility features cutting-edge
technologies to support Delmarva's poultry industry. The $8
million laboratory was funded by federal and state
government, the poultry industry and associated industries,
private funds and the University.
     John C. Nye, dean of the College of Agricultural
Sciences, welcomed guests to the dedication program, noting
that the new laboratory "marks the culmination of more than
a decade of planning and the commencement of a new era of
biotechnology research." He said, "The mysteries that will
be unlocked in these labs and the answers that will be found
will help ensure the success of the poultry industry in
Delaware for generations to come."
     Speakers at the ceremony included President David
Roselle, U.S. Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr., Bob Robinson of the
USDA, Gov. Thomas R. Carper, State Rep. George Carey, Gerald
B. Truitt of the Delmarva Poultry Industry Inc. and Fred W.
Melchior Jr. of Mallinckrodt Vet Inc.
     Charles C. Allen Jr., Delaware '40, the benefactor for
whom the laboratory is named, said, "Way back when the
building was first started, I thought to myself that it
would be good for our family, especially, to have a little
bit of involvement in this building. So, when it came to
that time, I thought to myself the poultry industry's been
so good to us; I just want to give back something of my own,
back to the industry."
     John K. Rosenberger, chairperson of the Department of
Animal and Food Sciences, spoke on the impact of the new
building on the poultry disease research program. "This
program that we have put together with this facility is a
continuation of a long history of research and diagnostic
efforts here at the University of Delaware. With this
building, I think we will now have a program that will be
second to none in the United States or internationally, and
I think it will have a tremendous impact on the University
and our local economy."
     At the conclusion of the ceremony, the laboratory was
officially dedicated by UD Trustee John E.Burris, and tours
of the new facility were held.