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Neuroscience is a key pillar in our strategic plan, and FAU is determined to become a world-class center of neurological and mental health research and education. A new gift totaling $10 million from longtime supporter David J. S. Nicholson will play an important role in that effort.

His generous $9.22 million gift expands on the Florida legislature’s initial investment of $35 million to establish a 58,000-square-foot neuroscience building on the John D. MacArthur Campus in Jupiter. Construction is underway on the building, which will now be named FAU’s Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute. The gift will expand and fuel this innovative facility with critical research faculty positions, focus-specific centers and cutting-edge laboratory technology — ultimately helping to create new jobs, accommodate more ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥¼ä in the STEM fields, and increase opportunities for funded research. Regularly updated photos of the building’s construction are available at /jupiter/neuro-building/.

The gift also will establish the David J. S. Nicholson Distinguished Professorship in Neuroscience, to be held by Dr. Randy Blakely; and the David and Lynn Nicholson Center for Neurodegenerative Disease Research, which will focus on better understanding and treating Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease. Additionally, the gift will establish the Stiles-Nicholson STEM Teacher Academy to provide STEM training programs for educators.

A recent $780,000 gift from David supports the ASCEND (Advancing STEM Community Engagement through Neuroscience Discovery) ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥¼ä, which seeks to increase access to and interest in STEM fields for the next generation of scientists.

David Nicholson’s dedication to improving and enhancing the lives of ÐÓ°ÉÖ±²¥¼ä — and scaling that work to impact our world at large — mirrors what we have been working toward as this University enters into a new era of excellence. FAU is well on its way to making a significant contribution to the field of neuroscience, and I’m confident that some of the most important discoveries of the future will take place at the Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute.

Thank you, David, for your partnership and for this game-changing investment in FAU!