John Deere Foundation, the primary philanthropic arm of Deere & Co., last week announced a $1.25 million grant for construction of a new agricultural and biosystems engineering facility at Iowa State University. The building is part of a planned multi-structure complex that will include ISU's office of biorenewables programs.
"Based on its long record of scientific and engineering achievement, Iowa State University is in a particularly strong position to provide leadership for the biorenewables effort,” said Michael Mack Jr., a director of the John Deere Foundation and senior vice president and chief financial officer of Deere & Co. “Technical support from the university is essential to producing renewable fuels on a large scale and in an economically feasible, sustainable manner.”
Biorenewables are likely to play an important role in addressing the world's long-term energy needs and have a positive impact on issues such as global climate change and environmental sustainability, Mack noted.
The new agricultural and biosystems facility will be part of a 166,000-square-foot complex that will include three separate buildings to replace current laboratories, classrooms and offices. The cost is estimated at $63.3 million.
