RESHUFFLING RESEARCH

Accommodating all of the stem cell laboratories in Cambridge has prompted reshuffling­­­—most significantly, the relocation of multiple Molecular and Cellular Biology labs to the Northwest Science Building—that has had indirect implications for even those departments that have not had to move at all.

“There’s less space for other programs to be able to develop and grow,” says Andrew A. Biewener, former chair of the OEB department.

The Northwest Science Building has been a particularly coveted piece of real estate.

“The Northwest space, everyone wanted it,” says Melissa Franklin, physics department chair, adding that the relocation of MCB faculty to Northwest affected physics professors already located in the building. “There was a lot of scrambling about that,” she says.

When it comes to finding more space, professors across the sciences have differing opinions about the options open to them.

“I think there’s space available, for example, that might be able to meet the needs of two investigators who might have the same equipment requirements or physical space requirements. But they might be in two different departments,” Girguis says.

For Girguis, the cost of moving around is also of concern.

“How much money are we going to spend by making local adjustments? Is that sustainable?” Girguis says.

LOOKING AHEAD

Although construction has ceased for now, University Provost Steven E. Hyman says that he is “quite hopeful” that there will be “active Harvard academic programs” in Allston in the next ten to fifteen years. But Hyman says that it is uncertain which departments will move to Allston.

According to Faculty of Arts and Sciences administrators, the University’s capital campaign is planning to raise money with Allston as a top priority.

The time frame within which laboratories can expect to move to Allston, however, is not definite, according to a senior FAS administrator.

“Our main attention is making a beehive of activity here in the fall. We do not think of this as temporary housing,” Melton says.

Franklin, whose physics department is spread out over seven buildings, says that there is a charm to staying on this side of the river that in some ways outweighs the potential for increased space and centralization that Allston provides.

“Five years ago if you asked our faculty, they would not want to go to Allston. Maybe that has changed now,” she says. “They like it here. They like the trees, they like the really bad food at Greenhouse ... These people really like students—undergrads.”

But with student interest in the sciences seeing consistent growth and departments seeking new faculty appointments, there is little doubt that changes in arrangements will have to be made soon.

“To end this game of musical chairs, somebody has to leave,” says Lieberman. “What’s very frustrating is that we do not have the resources that we need. It’s just not right for our students.”

—Staff writer Rediet T. Abebe can be reached at rtesfaye@college.harvard.edu.

—Staff writer Radhika Jain can be reached at radhikajain@college.harvard.edu.