Drew Fayram, who joined the Hygienic Lab last year as an Emerging Infectious Disease fellow, has been named coordinator of the Lab’s Center for the Advancement of Laboratory Science, effective Aug. 29. Fayram will manage the final stage of development of the center, which is in the lower level of the Hygienic Laboratory on the University of Iowa Research Park in Coralville.

Drew Fayram poses in the auditorium of the Center for the Advancement of Laboratory Science.

The newly constructed center will feature classroom space, learning laboratories equipped with biosafety capabilities, and an auditorium that can seat up to 150 people or be divided into two rooms. All rooms will feature extensive audio visual technology features, including video conferencing. This will allow people gathered in the auditorium or in any externally connected site to observe and question scientists about laboratory testing and experiments.

The grand opening of the center is planned for Sept. 23. In addition to the State Hygienic Laboratory and the Office of the Vice President for Research, funders include the Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust, the state of Iowa, and the University of Iowa Research Park.

For the past year, Fayram has been assigned to the Hygienic Laboratory through a fellowship funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Association of Public Health Laboratories. He worked with an emerging technology known as MALDI-TOF (matrix assisted laser desorption ionization - time of flight) for the Disease Control Division and with emergency response for the Emergency Preparedness department.

Fayram, a native of Anamosa, earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Wartburg College and a master’s in microbiology from the University of Iowa. For additional information about the center, contact Fayram at drew-fayram@uiowa.edu or 319-335-4864.