Central State to build two new facilities to support research projects

Central State University has announced, due to several major grant projects from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and other agencies, it will build two new buildings on campus.

The new buildings include a 24,000-square-foot farm operations and storage facility and a new 40,000-square-foot research facility for the University’s land-grant mission and for researchers working on grant projects.

Funding for the buildings comes from the USDA and as part of the state of Ohio’s annual allocation of resources. Both will be constructed at the new entrance for University’s 100-acre Land Grant Demonstration and Research Farm.

CSU said the farm facility will house researcher’s farm equipment, field offices and maintenance operations. It is expected to be finished in early 2024.

The university said that the research facility will include core laboratories and space to allow for future collaborations. It will be built on state Route 42 near the water tower on campus and will be the first major facility constructed on campus since the completion of the University Student Center in 2015.

“These facilities will put Central State on the map as the hub of research and experiential learning for our faculty and students here at Central State,” CSU President Jack Thomas said, later adding, “Our research in food and nutrition, particularly focused in the areas of disparities in minority health are taking shape and will make an impact.”

Major grant projects at CSU include:

  • $10 million from the USDA to research using hemp in aquaculture
  • $3,582,160 from the U.S. Department of Commerce to establish a Workforce Training and Business Development Center for underserved communities in Clark, Greene and Montgomery counties
  • $599,982 from the USDA to research environmentally compatible water treatment technology
  • $597,461 from the USDA to research the ergonomics of farm safety and develop an ergonomics curriculum
  • $538,986 from the USDA to train beginning farmers who are socially disadvantaged or military veterans

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