May 9, 2001 For Immediate Release

Contractors are now welcome to pick up bid packages for construction of the University of Northern British Columbia lab expansion, the largest building to be built on the Prince George campus since the campus was officially opened in 1994.

The deadline for construction bids is June 7th.

Located adjacent to the existing lab, the 6,000 square metre laboratory expansion will provide additional space for lab classes, faculty offices, and research equipment. In addition, a portion of the existing laboratory building will be renovated to provide additional research space.

UNBC's rapid growth since 1994 has created the need for the lab expansion. Close to half of all UNBC students are in science programs - about double the national average. Plus, for its size, UNBC is one of the most research-intensive universities in the country. UNBC has been more successful at obtaining national research funding than many other larger universities.

It's expected the new lab will be complete by the fall of 2002. Site preparation has been undertaken by Sharp Construction of Prince George.