State Hygienic Laboratory heading image.
Center for the Advancement of Laboratory Science
Rick Bonar, STEM coordinator, guides a student through a water
filtration exercise as part of the Kirkwood Interactive Camps for Kids.
Rick Bonar, STEM coordinator, guides a student through a water filtration exercise as part of the Kirkwood Interactive Camps for Kids.

In its first year of operation, CALS hosted more than 5,019 people w ho attended 246 events.

CALS is a public venue intended for use by environmental and public health stakeholders, educational groups, and community businesses and organizations that need meeting space or access to a fully functional public health laboratory.

CALS is located in the Coralville laboratory, and is comprised of a conference center and a training laboratory. The Hygienic Laboratory has a long history as a national leader in public health education and training, and, through CALS, provides training for the current public heath workforce and recruiting for the workforce of tomorrow.

The new Center began hosting meetings and events on July 9, 2014 starting with an Iowa State Board of Health meeting.


  • Iowa State Board of Health Meeting
  • FBI Forensic Photography Training
  • State Hygienic Laboratory Ambassador Reception
  • Southeast Iowa Regional STEM Council Board Meeting
  • Newborn Screening Education Retreat – UIHC Pediatrics/Genetics
  • Iowa Climate Statement 2014: Impacts on the Health of Iowans Meeting
  • Iowa Food Safety Microbiology Workshop
  • Iowa Climate Science Educators’ Forum
  • Iowa Laboratory Benchmarking Group Quarterly Meeting
  • Sentinel Lab Rule Out of Potential Agents of Bioterrorism: Wet Workshop
  • Diagnostic Medical Parasitology Update Workshop – Taught by Lynne Garcia, MS, MT(ASCP), CLS(NCA), BLM(AAB), F(AAM), world-renowned diagnostic parasitologist
  • Clinical Laboratory Management Association (CLMA) Conference
  • 2015 CLIA Midwest Consortium Conference
  • CDC Rapid Methods Course for the Biological Laboratory Response Network