FAU’s Jupiter campus is planning to add a new facility dedicated to all things STEM — especially life science.

As the lab and classroom facilities at the Jupiter campus are currently at “max capacity,” the new building will provide more spaces for research and education in the life sciences, according to Assistant Vice President of Communications for Northern Campuses Cara Perry. The entire project will cost an estimated $35 million, and is an attempt to match FAU’s growing population of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) students and faculty.

The facility is a part of FAU President John Kelly’s plan called “A Race to Excellence,” which outlines specific goals for the improvement of both graduate and undergraduate education. It will be open to students, faculty, and staff participating in life science research and educational programming on the Jupiter campus.

“The new facility will allow us to hire new research teams and expand research and educational opportunities for undergraduate, graduate students and postdoctorates,” Perry said.

FAU will not begin building the facilities until the construction cost of about $19 million has been secured. 

The university currently has $12.9 of the required $35 million and plans to secure the rest of the $22.1 million in the coming year from the Florida government.

Once built, $1.3 million will be allocated annually to keep the facility running, according to the Board of Governors. An additional $10 million in research funding is also expected, although where the money will be coming from was not specified.

Following the competion of the building, FAU anticipates an increase in enrollment for students in the STEM fields of biology, bioengineering, neuroscience, and computational biology, among others.

Nimisha Rajendran is a contributing writer with the University Press. For information regarding this or any other stories, email [email protected].