It is with great admiration and respect that I applaud Marilyn Simons, Chair of the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) Board of Trustees, on the launch of this institution’s most ambitious fundraising campaign. “Foundations for the Future” will raise $500 million to propel the institution’s bioscience research and education programs to new heights and maximal impact. As you can see, I’m shoulder-to-shoulder with Marilyn breaking new ground to fund the infrastructure critical to empowering the leading-edge science that continues to be synonymous with CSHL. Thank you to Marilyn and the steadfast support of our trustees, major donors, and CSHL Association directors. The future of CSHL is bright with you.
We have already secured $25 million in funding to build a 33,000-square-foot research building that will expand our unique NeuroAI program. Read about CSHL’s leadership in combining neuroscience and computer science training to develop an ethical framework for the next generations of AI.
Investment in training and preparing the next generations of researchers has been a historic hallmark of CSHL, and the Foundations for the Future campaign includes endowment funds to recruit top early-career talent. The campaign will allow us to hire additional faculty, postdocs, and scientific professionals.
CSHL’s commitment to the future of bioscience is deep, and it starts with sparking the imaginations of middle and high school students through hands-on lab experiences at the DNA Learning Center (DNALC). Learn how we empower youth by literally putting DNA sequencing in the palm of their hands. Through the DNALC we hope to mentor students interested in pursuing STEM careers. As CSHL’s School of Biological Sciences proves, there is no one ‘successful’ journey. Rather, it’s the myriad of different journeys that make science succeed. To continue fostering such diversity, we’ve started a new Postbaccalaureate Research Education Program. This work-study initiative aims to prepare undergrads from populations underrepresented in U.S. health science fields for their challenging career journeys.
It is particularly rewarding to experience the lifesaving impact CSHL can have across the globe. Get a glimpse into the various partnerships with venture capitalists and the biotech industry through which we encourage the translation of curiosity-driven science to clinical application. One success story yielded Spinraza®, the first FDA-approved medicine for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), the leading genetic cause of infant death.
The Foundations for the Future campaign will ensure many more success stories to come. Look behind the scenes at our blueprint for success and see what the future at CSHL means for science and society.
— Bruce Stillman, Ph.D.
“President’s message”
Harbor Transcript, Volume 43, Issue 2, 2023