{"id":4375,"date":"2025-04-11T19:05:56","date_gmt":"2025-04-11T19:05:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.siuf.org\/?p=4375"},"modified":"2025-04-11T21:33:44","modified_gmt":"2025-04-11T21:33:44","slug":"gower-translational-research-center-naming-ceremony-will-be-friday-april-11","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.siuf.org\/?p=4375","title":{"rendered":"Gower Translational Research Center dedicated"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Gower
The Gower Translational Research Center was dedicated Friday, April 11.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Dr. Bob and Beth Gower honored for continued support of research at SIU<\/strong><\/p>\n

By Jeff Wilson<\/strong><\/p>\n

CARBONDALE\u00a0\u2013 The impact made by Dr. Bob and Beth Gower will be forever imprinted into the university\u2019s future at the Gower Translational Research Center.<\/p>\n

The Gowers have been generous donors to Southern for many years. Most recently, they dedicated $2.5 million to advance the mission and support the research activities taking place across campus.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of what we\u2019re trying to accomplish moving forward isn\u2019t possible without the support of people like Beth and Bob, who help carry us forward<\/span>,\u201d Chancellor Austin Lane said.<\/p>\n

In honor of this transformational gift, the SIU Board of Trustees voted Thursday, Dec. 5, that the McLafferty Annex, located at 1785 University Press Drive in Carbondale, be named the Gower Translational Research Center. The ribbon-cutting and naming ceremony for the center was Friday, April 11.<\/p>\n

\u201cI expect SIU to be a leader here,\u201d Dr. Bob Gower said. \u201cInnovation, in the future, will come from research universities like SIU working in cooperation with entrepreneurs. This building may one day be considered the heart of SIU.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Impact<\/strong><\/p>\n

Their $2.5 million gift is yet another major step in the SIU Foundation\u2019s Imagine SIU 2030 fundraising campaign. With a goal of raising $500 million by July 2028, the campaign currently sits at more than $396 million. It is the fifth largest campaign in the history of public universities in Illinois.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis ribbon cutting marks more than a new name on a building, it represents a legacy of vision, innovation, and generosity,\u201d said Matt Kupec, vice chancellor for development and alumni relations and CEO of the SIU Foundation. \u201cWith their transformational gift, Bob and Beth have made an investment not just in bricks and mortar but in the ideas that will change the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

This event comes on the heels of the recent news of SIU joining the ranks of the Ivy League this February when it was named a Research 1 (R1) university by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. Southern is one of only three public universities in Illinois with that designation, and it is the only one within 100 miles of Carbondale.<\/p>\n

The Gowers<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bob Gower, a West Frankfort native, graduated with bachelor\u2019s and master\u2019s degrees in chemistry in 1958 and 1960, respectively. He met his wife, Beth, while both were studying at SIU. She graduated in 1961. Dr. Gower earned his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota. He is the founder and executive chairman of Ensysce Biosciences, a biotech company that develops tamper-proof and abuse-resistant prescription drugs.<\/p>\n

Before their latest gift, the Gowers established the Bob G. & Mary Beth Gower Scholarship Endowment in SIU\u2019s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, which has benefited more than 50 students. They also established the Beth & Bob Gower Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry in the College of Agricultural, Life, and Physical Sciences.<\/p>\n

Dr. Gower is a two-time recipient of the SIUC Alumni Achievement Award from the College of Science (1988, 2008). He is a Distinguished Alumnus of the college and was inducted into the Chemistry & Biochemistry Hall of Fame in 1997. He served as a member of the steering committee for the university’s Opportunity Through Excellence campaign and as a member of the Chemistry & Biochemistry Advisory Committee. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Award from the university in 2018. The Gowers, who reside in Houston, have three adult daughters and several grandchildren.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a really special day for our family,\u201d Beth Gower said. \u201cI love this university. It\u2019s perfect. What I hope other people see is this: These Gower people must have a lot of faith in Southern Illinois University. They must feel that translational research is exciting and important to the future of the world. They must feel sure that the scientists at SIU are ready to do this work.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Center<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Gower Translational Research Center is a hub of high-level research. In October 2024, SIU dedicated a $7.2 million BioLaunch lab in the center. The 10,000-square-foot space is dedicated to life sciences research and more.<\/p>\n

Funded in part by a $2.7 million grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Wet Lab Program, BioLaunch is the newest addition to the Illinois Food, Entrepreneurship, Research, and Manufacturing (iFERM) Hub, a state-of-the-art research and training suite for faculty use, students, start-up companies, and private firms in the region. iFERM capitalizes on the university\u2019s research and innovation into food, fermentation, and biotechnology. In 2021, the SIU Foundation provided a $1.1 million grant to advance the progress on the Fermentation Science Institute, which is inside the center.<\/p>\n

\u201cResearch at SIU Carbondale is moving from the lab to the real world\u2014leading to patents, small businesses, and even partnerships with large corporations<\/span>,\u201d said Dr. Costas Tsatsoulis, vice chancellor of research and dean of the graduate school.<\/p>\n

The center is also home to the Center for Fisheries, Aquaculture, and Aquatic Sciences, and an ultra-fast laser facility, further enhancing its role as a center for diverse research initiatives.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dr. Bob and Beth Gower honored for continued support of research at SIU By Jeff Wilson CARBONDALE\u00a0\u2013 The impact made by Dr. Bob and Beth Gower will be forever imprinted into the university\u2019s future at the Gower Translational Research Center. The Gowers have been generous donors to Southern for many years. Most recently, they dedicated … Continue reading Gower Translational Research Center dedicated<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4375","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-donor-stories","category-events-engagement"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.siuf.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4375","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.siuf.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.siuf.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.siuf.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.siuf.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4375"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/blog.siuf.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4375\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4429,"href":"https:\/\/blog.siuf.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4375\/revisions\/4429"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.siuf.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4375"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.siuf.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4375"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.siuf.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4375"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}