Discover and learn everything about it here. Frederick Innovative Technology Center, Inc., located in Frederick, Maryland, was awarded a grant in the amount of $4.6 million by Gina Raimondo, the Secretary of Commerce for the United States. The money will be used for facility modifications to support a science startup incubator. This grant was given by ARP. Meanwhile, students and teachers at the university are working together to rectify historical inaccuracies in Sacramento by documenting the significant contributions made by African Americans in the community. Furthermore, the United States Department of Energy (DOE) has issued a request for information (RFI) regarding the Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnership Program, which is intended to enhance the electric grid in the United States. Moreover, new research facilities for genomics and plant science are being constructed in North Alabama by the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, which is experiencing fast expansion. By utilizing their long standing connections, HudsonAlpha and Brasfield & Gorrie are in the process of constructing a research facility and greenhouse.

The Commerce Department invested $4.6 million in American Rescue Plan funds for building upgrades in Frederick, Maryland

Original Source: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE INVESTS $4.6 MILLION IN AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN FUNDS FOR BUILDING RENOVATIONS TO SUPPORT JOB GROWTH IN FREDERICK, MARYLAND

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo announced a $4.6 million grant to Frederick Innovative Technology Center, Inc., Frederick, Maryland, for facility upgrades to support a science company incubator. This grant comes from ARP.

This project will build labs and offices to help small digital companies flourish and create jobs and economic possibilities. The grantee anticipates that the EDA investment will create or keep 320 jobs and generate $125 million in private investment.

“President Biden is committed to ensuring our communities have the resources they need to diversify and grow,” said Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo. This EDA funding will help scientists and entrepreneurs create good-paying jobs in Maryland.

The Economic Development Administration supports locally-developed plans to boost innovation and entrepreneurship, said Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development Alejandra Y. Castillo. “This initiative will diversify Frederick’s economy and provide new jobs.”

“Frederick is a great area to live, work, and grow, and FITCI is a key contributor to the local economy.” I’ve seen its effectiveness in action and been impressed by the little enterprises that are starting there, said Senator Ben Cardin. “These new public investments will create hundreds of jobs and stimulate private investment, just as Congress envisioned when establishing the American Rescue Plan.”

Senator Chris Van Hollen: “This government award from the American Rescue Plan will help high tech start-ups get off the ground and drive job creation, creativity, and increased prosperity in Western Maryland.” “I will keep trying to bring government investment to Maryland to promote good-paying jobs for Marylanders.”

Rep. David Trone voted for the American Rescue Plan, knowing it would boost local economies and create employment in Maryland (MD-06). “This funding from the Department of Commerce will help stimulate scientific innovation and strengthen our nation’s technological competitiveness.” Without a doubt, the American Rescue Plan continues to help hardworking families across the state, and I’m delighted we were able to bring this meaningful investment to small businesses in Maryland’s Sixth District.

This project is financed by EDA’s American Rescue Plan Economic Adjustment Assistance Program, which gives American towns $500 million in subsidies. The Economic Adjustment Assistance program is EDA’s most flexible, and funding under it will assist hundreds of communities plan, build, innovate, and put people back to work through construction or non-construction initiatives intended to meet local needs. EDA’s American Rescue Plan initiatives are closed for submissions as of May 26, 2022. Rolling awards of $3 billion will be made through September 30, 2022.

Students and educators maintain Sacramento’s black past

Original Source: Students and faculty help preserve Sacramento’s African American history

Sacramento’s Historic Preservation Office runs the African American Experience Project to identify important people and sites in the black community.

In addition to preserving community leaders’ and elders’ oral histories, the project strives to safeguard landmarks.

Carson Anderson, the retiring Sacramento Historic Preservation director, remarked, “We must rectify the record.” We must honor people of color’s cultural and historical achievements.

We lose our history and experience if we don’t pass it on, especially to people of color. —Joe Debbs, Sacramento activist

Last year, Sacramento State history students interviewed eight black leaders and elders. In the spring, students will assist in preserving culturally and historically significant areas.

Rebekkah Mulholland, Sac State Public History program director, says she often hears that history is about dead people. “But when students talk to their parents about gentrification and busing, the past isn’t 50, 60, or 70 years ago.”

Students can chat to people who went through it; these stories are alive.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation granted $50,000 to the project.

Anderson: “Historic preservation concentrated on beautiful structures and outstanding architecture connected with important white individuals.” Meanwhile, development and road construction displaced or segmented many ethnic groups, and in some cases, culturally important buildings were torn down.

“The tales of individuals of color, whether Asian American, black, or Latino, haven’t always been told,” Anderson added.

Early preservationists focused on architecture, purity, and design quality. Remodeled structures weren’t regarded as vital, said Anderson.

In recent years, efforts have been made to record ethnic neighborhoods.

Anderson: “We’re trying to fix this severe error by focusing more on cultural history and less on architecture.”

Oak Park is one of Sacramento’s oldest historically black neighborhoods. They looked at people, businesses, transit, and the freeway that bypassed Oak Park.

Mulholland claimed consumers no longer went through Oak Park but around it.

The students’ research gave the city project context. It also enlightened Sacramento and Oak Park students.

“They talked to their parents and grandparents and discovered they were living with information,” Mulholland said. “That’s what we adore.”

Students don’t just pay for classes. They’re contributing to the community by sharing their tales and communicating with others.

Public history graduate Harvey Melvin Jones IV interviewed Oak Park-born Sacramento activist Joe Debbs.

“He has a really intriguing life story, and it was fun to hear about his community activism,” Jones added.

“Oak Park was a melting pot unto itself, and the minority communities there were united by the city’s prejudice.”

Transcriptions of the oral histories are on the city’s website. Soon, video recordings will be accessible.

Debbs: “If we don’t pass on our history and experience, we lose it, especially for people of color.” If we don’t document, we lose information. And that’s how you lose your history.

This spring’s property survey will help city officials save Shiloh Baptist Church and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority House.

“So we don’t needlessly demolish historic properties,” Anderson remarked.

California State Railroad Museum Director Ty Smith teaches an oral history class at Sac State. He prefers that his students work on real-world projects rather than submit papers.

“This effort matters,” added Smith. “They see their work when the semester is over, and when there’s something at stake, students shine.”

“It gives them a new meaning and helps them fly in ways abstract learning can’t.”

Smith said many of the pupils are from Sacramento.

“This project allows them to serve the community, and I think that’s lovely,” Smith added. “The university is part of the community, and these classes show that.”

Anderson said the city expects to continue building on its relationship with Sac State.

He said, “It benefited us.” “We have a limited staff and little money for this endeavor, so Sac State’s contributions are huge.”

Biden-Harris Administration Launches a $10.5 Billion Electric Grid Investment

Original Source: Biden-Harris Administration Launches $10.5 Billion Investment to Strengthen America’s Electric Grid

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) launched an RFI on the $10.5 billion Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnership Program to improve America’s electric grid. The RFI seeks information from states, tribes, communities, utilities, project developers, and other key stakeholders to refine the funding opportunity announcement later this year and guide the implementation of the funding over five years to enhance the electric grid in support of President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. These programs will accelerate the deployment of transformative projects that will ensure the reliability of the power sector’s infrastructure, so all American communities have access to affordable, reliable, clean electricity anytime, anywhere, and help achieve the President’s goal of 100% clean electricity by 2035.

“DOE is moving fast to modernize the nation’s power grid to provide American homes with more reliable and cheaper electricity,” said Energy Secretary Jennifer M. Granholm. “President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law improves and expands transmission and distribution infrastructure, lowering energy costs and creating good-paying employment.”

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law contains a historic investment to update transmission and distribution infrastructure to increase grid stability and resilience and to encourage sustainable energy adoption. Today’s announcement is a crucial step in delivering on DOE’s integrated grid strategy outlined in the Building a Better Grid Initiative to modernize the nation’s grid infrastructure, connect more communities to cheaper, cleaner power, and ensure the grid can withstand extreme weather.

The Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnership Program, administered by DOE’s new Grid Deployment Office, is financed by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and will improve grid flexibility and power system resilience against extreme weather and climate change. They are:

  • Grid Resilience Grants ($2.5 billion) update the electric grid to prevent weather and disaster impacts. This program will fund complete transmission and distribution technology solutions to manage wildfires, floods, hurricanes, extreme heat, extreme cold, storms, and other power system disruptions. This program gives grants to electric grid operators; storage operators; generators; transmission owners or operators, distribution providers, and fuel suppliers.
  • Smart Grid Grants ($3 billion) increase the flexibility, efficiency, and reliability of the electric power system by increasing transmission capacity; preventing faults that may cause wildfires or other system disturbances; integrating renewable energy at the transmission and distribution levels; and facilitating the integration of electrified vehicles, buildings, and other grid-edge devices. This program’s smart grid funding and deployment will lead to wider market acceptance. This funding program is open to domestic higher education institutions, for-profit or non-profit, and state, local, and tribal governments.
  • Grid Innovation Program ($5 billion) helps states, tribes, local governments, and public utility commissioners engage with electric sector owners and operators to build innovative transmission, storage, and distribution infrastructure projects to improve grid resilience and reliability. Interregional transmission projects, investments that speed sustainable energy integration, distribution grid assets to supply backup power and reduce transmission demand, and more are of interest. Creative ways include using new technologies, forming innovative alliances, and deploying initiatives discovered through innovative planning.

DOE plans to release the final Funding Opportunity Announcement for FY22 and FY23 later this year.

Alabama’s Biotech Hub

Original Source: Building Alabama’s Biotech Research Hub

The rapidly growing HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology in North Alabama is building new buildings for genomics and plant science research. HudsonAlpha and Brasfield & Gorrie are using historical partnerships to create a greenhouse and research facility.

On HudsonAlpha’s campus, scientists and students study human genomes while biotech firms push the state’s economy forward.

The latest additions to the property include a $9.9-million, 14,000-square-foot greenhouse and a $35-million, 94,000-square-foot genomic research center.

HudsonAlpha’s vice president of economic development, wanted to observe how they expanded. “Two projects, one expansion”

Expanding

Wells said the greenhouse building is designed for the researchers who will work inside, such as Josh Clevenger, who utilizes genomics to better breed peanuts and develop better tools and rapid breeding procedures.

Multiple internal conditions offered a challenge, said Brasfield & Gorrie project manager Sam Wolfe. He feels most building interiors are cozy. The greenhouse requires 90 degrees or above, full sunlight, and high-powered LED grow lights.

Wells said the HudsonAlpha Greenhouse and Education Learning Labs will provide the Center for Plant Science and Sustainable Agriculture with greenhouse, lab, and field space.

Fuqua & Partners hired greenhouse specialist A.J. Lauer for the “highly specialized” greenhouse, which requires varied light spectrums in its seven totally configurable and autonomous growing sections.

Electrical conduit, plumbing piping, access controls, and other elements had to be exterior-grade to resist the circumstances, and the building’s design required more trade contractor cooperation.

The greenhouse management system is connected to louvers, evaporative cooling pad walls, shade curtains, lighting, in-slab piping, and more. Wolfe believes these allow the end user complete control over the growing environment.

Supply chain concerns are the project’s largest difficulty, says project manager Jason McCay.

Brasfield & Gorrie signed a statement of intent for HEPA filters before the contract was signed in July 2021, adding a layer of planning to the project.

The German-made filters’ 10-week lead time escalated to over a year, McCay says.

In 2020, when the first phase of this project began, supply chain challenges caused lengthier lead times for drywall and glass.

McCay: “Every substance had lead-time pushback.” “We mitigated that by studying the issues when estimating the job and buying out long-lead subcontracts.”

The team had to switch insulation producers and buy and store flooring in a warehouse.

“We were lucky to obtain things early, so they’re waiting for us when we need them,” he says.

Biotech’s DNA

Next door, crews recently completed the global headquarters of Discovery Life Sciences (DLS), a biospecimen analysis, procurement, and distribution company.

Marshall Schreeder Jr., VP of corporate development, says DLS has been at HudsonAlpha since it started in 2008.

The company’s ongoing development and need to centralize activities prompted discussions about the headquarters building in 2019. Wells adds that DLS began with two people in 250 square feet in HudsonAlpha’s initial location. DLS has 20 global offices and 500 employees in the new building due to mergers and other initiatives.

There aren’t many worldwide life sciences offices in Alabama, and the institute intends to change that.

Schreeder says the company needs extra lab and office space. This new facility will consolidate three Huntsville buildings into one. Instead of traveling 100 yards to pass over a sample, they’ll soon be able to take it across the hall.

Schreeder adds that the cafeteria, common areas, breakrooms, and outdoor spaces are appealing, and windows and natural light are plentiful.

HudsonAlpha relied on contractor Brasfield & Gorrie and local architect Fuqua and Partners for both projects.

“We relied heavily on B&G and others to help us negotiate those waters,” Wells adds.

HudsonAlpha’s 100,000-square-foot Paul Propst Center for Precision Medicine debuted in 2018. The contractor and architect worked collaboratively.

The DLS facility requires ultra-low freezers, DNA sequencers, and file storage systems.

Packard believes a 33-ft structural bay was vital to an efficient architecture.

High-density file systems on rollable racks require strengthened foundations. Freezers that may reach – 80 degrees Fahrenheit create heat and power, so builders must consider power distribution, HVAC, and utility supply for equipment that can run for two or three days, adds Packard.

Schreeder: “We have lots of hot equipment.” Keeping those rooms cold and having enough HVAC capacity is a big help.

An external tank will supply liquid and vapor-phase nitrogen, he explains.

Packard argues supply chain concerns have made bar joists unnecessary. Front of the building will have a high-end architectural precast, the back will have a load-bearing structural precast.

Brasfield & Gorrie “schedule helpers” are precast walls made in Opelika, Ala., and delivered as needed. Since they’re manufactured in a controlled setting, crews can keep pouring footings until the wall is hauled into place.

Ready-to-develop areas on the HudsonAlpha campus provide the path for building with reasonably flat grounds without many utilities, giving crews space to spread out supplies and focus on the project. Brasfield & Gorrie uploaded CAD files to GPS to automatically adjust grades.

The DLS building was topped out in late August as interior work began.

Schreeder: “This is crucial for our progress.” This building provides cooling, ventilation, backup power, and labs built for our workflows and regulations.

This is McCay’s first state project, and he’s impressed by Alabama’s investment in health science. Gov. Kay Ivey has pledged $15 million in 2021.

McCay says it’s gratifying. “It’s a lot different than creating an office building, and once you get involved, you want to stay active, so I’ll follow up with Discovery Life Sciences and HudsonAlpha’s research.”

Summary of today’s construction news

In today’s construction news, this project, which involves an investment in the building modifications necessary to sustain a science company incubator, will establish labs and offices to assist small digital enterprises in flourishing and creating jobs as well as economic opportunities. The recipient of the grant projects that the EDA investment will result in the creation or maintenance of 320 jobs and the infusion of $125 million in private capital.

In addition, according to Anderson, “historical preservation focused on lovely buildings and remarkable architecture related to notable white personalities.” In the meantime, urbanization and road construction led to the displacement or segregation of a great number of different ethnic groups, and in certain instances, structures that were historically or culturally significant were demolished.

Furthermore, to better define the funding opportunity announced later this year and to lead the deployment of the financing over five years to improve the electric grid in support of President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, a request for information has been issued.

Over and above that, researchers and students at HudsonAlpha are making important strides in the study of human genetics, and the biotech companies headquartered there are helping to propel the state’s economy. New construction on the land includes a greenhouse costing $9.9 million and covering an area of 14,000 square feet, and a genomic research center costing $35 million and covering an area of 94,000 square feet.