Assessment and Recommendations Strengthen Leading Program in Nanotech Research and Production
Researchers, policy makers, corporate leaders and facilities planners have long known that electromagnetic and radio frequency radiation can cause serious health problems, and much effort has gone into identifying standards and design solutions to minimize the risks from exposure. As nanotech instruments become more powerful and more sensitive, owners of facilities that house them increasingly have to minimize electromagnetic interference (EMI) and radio frequency interference (RFI), not only to minimize the risk of negative health effects, but to permit these instruments to function as designed. Planning for EMI and RFI mitigation in such buildings is crucial; measuring EMI and RFI levels post-construction is equally important in order to assess the success of planning efforts, and to identify any further mitigation steps that may be necessary. Lou Vitale, president and chief engineer of VitaTech Engineering, recently measured interference levels in Cornell University's new Duffield Hall to do precisely that.

The Broadway Research Building Houses 40,000 Mice
Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore has responded to the boom in mouse-based research by constructing its first all-rodent research facility in its new $140-million Broadway Research Building. The animal facility, which opened in November 2003, cost a total of $32 million, including more than $7 million for ventilated cages and changing stations. It is the University's first facility to include both animal holding rooms and procedure rooms.

Technical Experts Explain Guidelines
Building a durable, high-performance animal research facility at an affordable price requires careful planning and the proper selection of building materials. Many valuable principles and strategies are outlined in the "Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals," which was published in 1966 by the National Academies Press in Washington, D.C. Although the publication is nearly four decades old, it contains information that is still relevant today. In fact, designers from Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum Inc. (HOK) utilize the guide in their project work and when presenting information to various trade groups as it represents the current minimum industry standards.