Dominican College President Sr. Mary Eileen O’Brien, O.P., Ph.D. with Pfizer Pearl River Site Leader Kerrin Mahaffey in the newly renovated chemistry laboratory in Forkel Hall.
Dominican College unveiled a newly-renovated chemistry laboratory in Forkel Hall on April 14, 2016. The updated lab was made possible by the generous donation of about $500,000 worth of furniture and equipment from Pfizer, Inc.
“We are delighted to be able to open this classroom and research laboratory for our students to begin using in fall,” said College President Sr. Mary Eileen O’Brien, O.P., Ph.D. “This additional lab shows our commitment to the sciences, which provide such an important foundation for many of the top fields of study at Dominican College – including nursing, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and athletic training.”
The furniture and equipment donated by Pfizer, Inc. include a chemical fume hood, four lab work benches, two equipment benches, glassware, solvent cabinets, and instruments. These additions will enhance the use of the renovated room for instruction and lab work.
Pfizer Pearl River Site Leader Kerrin Mahaffey said, “The Pearl River site has been committed to the Rockland community for over 110 years. Not only with advancing medicine and global health but in supporting our neighbors, non-profits and schools.”
She added, “We are so glad that we were able to provide the equipment for the chemistry and biology research labs. It is our hope that this will make it possible for future scientists to continue in the tradition of Pfizer and the Pearl River colleagues. We expect great things from them.”
Assistant Professor of Chemistry Colleen Evans, is pleased that the chemistry lab is located next to the biology lab. “That’s the future of chemistry majors to be able to have multi or interdisciplinary work. I’m going to be working with faculty to develop programs that we can use for both chemistry and biology,” she said. “I think the new lab is really a catalyst that will hopefully help us grow the program to attract students to the field of chemistry.”
In November 2014, Dominican College dedicated a biology lab in Forkel Hall that also contained equipment donated by Pfizer, Inc. In addition to the laboratories in Forkel Hall, Dominican College has three biology labs, a physics lab, and a chemistry lab in Prusmack Center.