News

ODU breaks ground on $184M biosciences building

Old Dominion University on Monday broke ground on the biggest capital project in the 95-year-old university’s history — a new biological sciences building.

The planned five-story, 162,586 square-foot building will be located on ‘s campus in , near the university’s Oceanography and Mills Godwin Life Sciences buildings.

ODU spokesperson Jonah Ross Grinkewitz said the $184 million project is funded by a state bond issue and will house classrooms, teaching laboratories, a 120-seat lecture hall and other student support spaces. State and campus leaders, and community members gathered Monday to commemorate the .

“Today would not be possible without significant support from the Commonwealth of Virginia,” said President Brian O. Hemphill in a Monday statement. “With the leadership and action of Gov. Youngkin and the General Assembly, a $184 million investment has been made in Old Dominion University, specifically our students, representing the largest in the history of our institution in terms of both scope and size.”

The building is meant to support faculty and student research in biomedical and ecological areas. As part of the project, the Arthur and Phyllis Kaplan Orchid Conservatory will be relocated within the biological sciences building with an added water feature and a two-story tropical display house. The exterior design incorporates an existing pond and features a terraced seating area.

A team that includes VMDO Architects, Ballinger and O’Shea Wilson Site Works designed the building. Newport News-based will serve as the project’s general contractor.

The building is expected to be ready for use in spring 2028.

Virginia Secretary of Education Aimee Guidera said the building embodies the ODU’s mission of being a “forward-focused, innovative and entrepreneurial research university.

“The pioneering biological research conducted at this state-of-the-art research and development hub will prepare students to succeed in their lives and careers beyond graduation,” Guidera added in a statement.

Read more here.

 

Recent News

07/01/2025

ISOThrive Announces Promising Phase 2 Interim Data for Novel Heartburn Treatment and Appoints Pharma Veteran Mike Walther as Chief Strategy Officer

ISOThrive Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, announced interim results from a Phase 2 study of its lead candidate, ISOT-101, for treatment of Non-Erosive Reflux Disease (NERD). The data showed positive trends in addressing heartburn frequency and symptom severity among proton pump inhibitor (PPI) partial-responders (PR), a patient population with major unmet medical need. These positive

07/01/2025

Gary Lowenthal Joins Focused Ultrasound Foundation’s Council

The Focused Ultrasound Foundation is pleased to welcome Gary Lowenthal to its Council, a dedicated group of goodwill ambassadors who work closely with the Board of Directors and staff to provide advice and assist with raising funds and building awareness. Mr. Lowenthal is a retired educator, entrepreneur, and executive with a career spanning education, international service,

06/25/2025

Liquet Medical Closes Oversubscribed Seed Round to Launch Pilot Study Evaluating Real-Time Hemodynamic Monitoring

Liquet Medical, a clinical-stage medical device company developing the Versus™ Catheter — a first-of-its-kind dual-tipped catheter system cleared by the FDA for controlled and selective infusion of fluids into the pulmonary vasculature and hemodynamic monitoring — announced the successful and oversubscribed close of its Seed funding round, which officially closed in May 2025. The capital