# Alterations and Renovations Core > **NIH NIH P20** · MOUNT DESERT ISLAND BIOLOGICAL LAB · 2024 · $216,665 ## Abstract ALTERATIONS AND RENOVATIONS PROJECT SUMMARY Alterations and Renovations are proposed that will improve research laboratory facilities at three primarily undergraduate network institutions in the Maine INBRE (ME-INBRE): the University of Maine Honors College (UMHC), Southern Maine Community College (SMCC), and the University of Maine at Farmington (UMF). The alterations and renovations will allow these network institutions to carry out INBRE-sponsored research involving undergraduate students more effectively. To improve research facilities at UMHC, a darkroom will be renovated to create a new confocal microscopy research and training laboratory that will be used by Honors students who are conducting biomedical research as part of their pre-thesis and thesis research projects. The 200 sq. ft. laboratory, located in room 233 in Hitchner Hall, will house an Olympus FluoView FV1000 confocal microscope in a modern space where Honors students can carry out research and receive individualized training. The room is just down the hall from the Genomics Research Collaborative Laboratory where UMHC students carry out team-based interdisciplinary research. Requested modifications include demolition, carpentry, plumbing, HVAC, and electrical work to provide a functional microscopy room with adequate power and cooling . To improve research facilities at SMCC, a microscopy lab will be renovated. Currently, SMCC students carrying out capstone research projects and independent projects for the microbiology course all rely on light microscopes, housed in a 252 sq. ft. room (MSC 112). The room is not optimal for this use, and students observe extraneous vibration and motion in their experiments. To improve this facility, new thick black epoxy resin topped counters will be installed with strong floor mounted brackets to increase stability. Additional renovations include increasing the lab bench surface area to make more space available for student research projects and installing open oak cabinetry in the storage areas for the light microscopes. To improve research facilities at UMF, an 828 sq. ft. teaching lab (Ricker 222) will be renovated to make additional space for faculty and student biomedical research. In its current configuration, the 36 x 23-foot space consists of six large, moveable laboratory tables that seat three students per table. It is used as a lecture space for smaller, upper- level courses and a laboratory space for field courses. To support faculty and student laboratory research, these tables and some of the built-in storage cabinets will be removed and replaced with standing-height laboratory benches that include benchtop storage shelves. Each of these laboratory benches will accommodate a faculty member and two research students. The benches will be wired with GFI outlets, but they will not be plumbed; an additional chemical resistant sink will be installed in the back of the lab. ## Key facts - **NIH application ID:** 10875864 - **Project number:** 2P20GM103423-24 - **Recipient organization:** MOUNT DESERT ISLAND BIOLOGICAL LAB - **Principal Investigator:** JAMES A COFFMAN - **Activity code:** P20 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.) - **Funding institute:** NIH - **Fiscal year:** 2024 - **Award amount:** $216,665 - **Award type:** 2 - **Project period:** 2001-09-30 → 2029-04-30 ## Primary source NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10875864 ## Citation > US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10875864, Alterations and Renovations Core (2P20GM103423-24). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-11 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10875864. Licensed CC0. --- *[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*