Photo by Demetrius Trisvan

Photo by Demetrius Trisvan

By Demetrius Trisvan (Whetstone Staff Writer)

Cannon Hall’s science labs are getting a $100,000 makeover.

Thanks to a grant from the federal and state governments, Labs C-5, C-9, C-206, and C-214 will be getting a new paintjob, incubators and refrigerators, as well as refurbished countertops and cabinets.

The College got the money from the Delaware INBRE (IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence) program, which was funded by an Institutional Development Award (IDeA) from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences – NIGMS at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the State of Delaware.

Since December, the four labs have been painted, and refurbished countertops and cabinets were installed.

Lab Assistant Katelynn Russomanno, likes the way things are coming together.

“The cabinets match now,” she said. “It looks nicer, and it’s more comfortable.”

Photo by Demetrius Trisvan

Photo by Demetrius Trisvan

Freshman Austin Luna, a lab assistant, can remember when the labs lacked overall curb appeal.

“Before they didn’t look good, now it’s like you want to go into the rooms and see who or what is in there,” he said.

It will cost nearly $50,000 to update the Anatomy and Physiology lab (C-11) and the Physics lab (C-111) over the summer break, said Emily Wood, grant administrator.

Wesley has hired local contractor Buckley Builders Inc., to refurbish the labs’ countertops and cabinets. The final touches to all six labs are expected to be completed by the beginning of the fall semester.

Rick Richardson, the College’s physical plant planner, is on-sight manager for the handling of lab equipment during the renovation.

Richardson’s crew is responsible for applying a custom paint dubbed, “Wesley white,” said Dr. Kathleen Curran, chair of the Biology department.

She said the crew used an assembly line technique, completing sections of each room simultaneously to manage the 5-day curing period required for the special epoxy on the countertops.

There are still items on the to-do list, Curran said.

“The labs received new refrigerators and new incubators for culturing,” Curran said. “However, the grant runs out in April, so all materials will need to be purchased by then.”