Page 4 - Jupiter Spotlight - February '23

Page 4, Jupiter Spotlight
FAU Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute Opens

Heralding A New Era In
Neuroscience And Education

Florida Atlantic University (FAU) celebrated the
opening of the FAU Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute at
FAU’s John D. MacArthur Campus in Jupiter recently
with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The official launch of
the institute heralds a new era in neuroscience research,
education and community engagement. The multimillion-
dollar, 58,000-square-foot facility will serve as a “beacon
of hope” for the study and amelioration of numerous brain
and behavioral disorders.
“A vibrant neuroscience ecosystem continues to grow
and flourish on Florida Atlantic University’s Jupiter
campus,” said FAU Interim President Stacy Volnick. “The
state-of-the-art FAU Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute was
designed as a collaborative hub for neuroscience to foster
connections and serve as a global destination for the
world’s brightest scientists and students. We are extremely
grateful to David J.S. Nicholson, the state of Florida and our
many research partners, including the Max Planck Florida
Institute for Neuroscience, for their vision and support.”
The FAU Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute was made
possible by a transformative $10 million gift from
Nicholson, who championed the idea of a new brain
research, education and community engagement institute.
The $35 million research space represents a significant
investment by the state of Florida, FAU and its research
partners.
Nicholson and the Stiles-Nicholson Foundation have
long had their finger on the pulse of the health sciences “Conceiving, building and launching the FAU Stiles-
and education fields, as well as the needs of FAU’s faculty, Nicholson Brain Institute has been a labor of love for us
researchers and students, working in various capacities with and we are ecstatic to showcase our outstanding research
the university for nearly 15 years. facility today,” said Randy Blakely, Ph.D., executive
“This is a remarkable time for neuroscience as we director of the FAU Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute,
push the frontier of what we know about the brain as it the David J.S. Nicholson Distinguished Professor in
develops, ages and responds to injury or disease. For the Neuroscience, and a professor of biomedical science
first time, computer speeds, big data sciences and optical within FAU’s Schmidt College of Medicine. “We are
technologies have advanced to the point where meaningful incredibly thankful to David for his support and for
big data brain discoveries are possible. The next decade of everyone’s hard work and dedication to make the FAU
discovery belongs to neuroscience. I am incredibly proud Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute a reality. We believe that
to partner with FAU to realize our joint vision today,” the impact from bringing together the brightest minds
said Nicholson. “As we officially open the doors to the within this facility to unravel the secrets of the brain will floor, approximately 4,400 square feet of open laboratory
FAU Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute, we are poised to improve the quality of people’s lives for decades to come.” space is linked to facilities with shared technology and
accelerate the discovery and translation of novel therapies A key feature of the second floor is the Advanced Cell faculty offices. The open design stimulates communication
and treatments that will provide new hope for patients Imaging Core Laboratory where the visualization of brain and collaboration among junior and senior scientists and
within our communities and worldwide. Importantly, cells takes place. Multidimensional, dynamic cellular and fosters multidisciplinary research opportunities.
the FAU Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute will invigorate brain circuit visualization merges with computational and The third floor is outfitted to support the researchers
interest among young people to pursue STEM as a career virtual reality resources in this space to allow researchers whose studies link molecular, cellular and computational
and ultimately improve our nation’s rankings in science to peer deeply into the brain. It also contains more than neuroscience. A space outfitted with high-speed optical
and math education.” $1 million in already acquired equipment and houses one fiber connects researchers’ computer workstations to the
The first floor of the FAU Stiles-Nicholson Brain of 14 Nikon Centers of Excellence in the United States, supercomputers of the FAU High Performance Computing
Institute is home to the Center for Brain Disease Modeling, one of 16 in the Americas and one of 30 worldwide.
a facility designed to develop and advance approaches Among the research areas taking place on the second FAU Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute on page 5
to study brain disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease,
autism, addiction and brain cancer. The center will more
than double FAU’s current capacity for physiological and
behavioral analyses. Activities supported by the center
draw from advanced behavioral research infrastructure;
noninvasive recording approaches to map and activate brain
circuits; tools to test the effects of early-stage medications;
and opportunities to evaluate the impact of genetic and
environmental changes on learning, memory, addiction,
anxiety and social behavior.
Within the Center for Brain Disease Modeling,
the Neurobehavioral Core Laboratory specializes in
neurobehavioral research while providing state-of-the-art
educational experiences for undergraduate, graduate and
postdoctoral fellows. The first floor also offers a public
area that features a reception space, lobby and a two-story,
interactive auditorium designed to be quickly reconfigured
for lectures, symposia and community events. In this area,
visitors not only hear from world-class neuroscientists on
recent advances in brain science and health but also enjoy
theater-in-the-round-style performances or join community
champions in banquet-style gatherings. The lobby area
flows to a patio where visitors can meet with scholars,
artists and students to enjoy sunsets over a fountained lake.

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