The Department of Kinesiology's faculty and students can expect a dramatic makeover in a couple of years.
A planned $21.6 million facility is expected to have 58,000 square feet of research and office space for the department in the College of Education.
"The current facility is inadequate to support the research, teaching and outreach mission of the kinesiology department," said Betty Lou Whitford, dean of the College of Education.
The new facility will have three floors, each of which will cater to different needs of the department.
"I think the College of Education Department of Kinesiology facility will be a tremendous addition to Auburn University," said Dan King, assistant vice president of Facilities Management. "It will provide a quality teaching, learning and research environment for an important and growing program here at Auburn."
The first floor will house the department's biomechanics and motor behavior laboratories.
The motor behavior lab, which focuses a significant portion of its research on physical activity in children, will open onto a green space for outdoor activity.
The second floor will house epidemiology and exercise behavior labs and the TigerFit program, which provides health screenings and fitness assessments for students, faculty and the community.
The third floor will feature controlled-access space for muscle physiology, cardioprotection, neuromechanics, sports optimization and thermal labs.
The facility is expected to be completed by spring 2013 and will be located on Wire Road between the tennis courts and the outdoor swimming complex.
"We are very excited about the new facility and thank the Board of Trustees for their support," Whitford said. "The construction of this building means our Department of Kinesiology will have a facility that matches its outstanding reputation for excellence in teaching, research and outreach--all three parts of Auburn's mission of a major land grant university."
Whitford said she believes the facility is what is needed to give the program a boost in the National Academy of Kinesiology rankings.
"Already ranked 22nd nationally, with support such as this our kinesiology program can become the top such program in the country," Whitford said.
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