UNH Dedicates its Environmental Technology Building in Honor of U.S. Senator Judd Gregg

Contact: Sharon Keeler
603-862-1566
UNH Media Relations

April 30, 2004



DURHAM, N.H. -- The University of New Hampshire today named its Environmental Technology Building Gregg Hall, in honor of the man who has helped build the university’s internationally renowned research and teaching programs during his career in the U.S. Senate.

U.S. Sen. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.) was honored at the building dedication by a host of university and community leaders, including UNH President Ann Weaver Hart, UNH Vice President for Research and Public Service John Aber, Director of UNH’s Environmental Research Group and Research Professor of Civil Engineering Taylor Eighmy, President of the Seacoast Science Center Wendy Lull, and doctoral candidate in water resources engineering Alison Watts.

U.S. Sen. Judd Gregg is presented a plaque at the dedication of Gregg Hall by UNH President Ann Weaver Hart. (Katelyn Dolan/Media Relations)

“This honor is long overdue for an individual who continues to recognize the critical role UNH research can play in solving problems and improving the quality of life for New Hampshire citizens,” UNH President Ann Weaver Hart said. “Senator Gregg has given UNH the opportunity to become a national leader in areas such as atmospheric investigation and marine science. More importantly, he has done it in a way that is directly addressing complex problems facing our nation while building academic and research programs for the future. Whether it has been Senator Gregg's support for air quality monitoring throughout the North-east or preventing crimes against children, he is a champion for all who need champions.”

In 2001, Gregg Hall began its service as the Environmental Technology Building, designed to aid the university in its efforts to provide innovative solutions to national environmental problems through top-tier research.

The multidisciplinary science and engineering building is home to the NOAA-UNH Cooperative Institute for Coastal And Estuarine Environmental Technology (CICEET); the Cooperative Institute for New England Mariculture and Fisheries (CINEMAR); the Environmental Research Group; the Office of Intellectual Property Management; the N.H. Industrial Research Center; NOAA’s Northeast Coastal Ocean Program; the Hubbard Genome Center; and the NASA/NOAA Center for Technology Commercialization.

"At the formal opening of the Environmental Technology Building in August 2001, people spoke about the limitless benefits to ecosystems and communities everywhere that could be discovered in such a tremendous facility. It is remarkable that in only three short years that prediction has certainly come true,” Gregg said. “The impact of the research being done here extends far beyond the building itself, the UNH campus, and even our region. That is a testament to the tireless work being done by the faculty, staff and students at UNH, which now boasts one of the top research universities in the nation. Their cutting-edge work has brought accolades to the university but more importantly, has resulted in programs that will ultimately lead to cleaner air, healthier oceans and safer communities for New Hampshire residents and New Hampshire law enforcement personnel.

"I am truly honored to have my name associated with such an outstanding and world-class facility, and would like to thank everyone involved, especially President Hart and all of the students and faculty for their outstanding work."

Gregg Hall, along with the Jere Chase Ocean Engineering Laboratory, anchors the university’s “West Campus.” Funded primarily through federal grants, with additional state awards and private gifts, Gregg Hall and its programs symbolize the university’s commitment to inquiry-based education and engagement through research and scholarship.

Throughout his career in the U.S. Senate, Sen. Gregg has helped secure more than $266 million in federal funds to support critical research projects based at UNH.

In addition to the programs residing in Gregg Hall, Sen. Gregg has been instrumental in securing funding for the university’s Crimes Against Children Research Center, Joint Hydrographic Center, the Project54 state-of-the-art policy cruiser technology, and the New England Regional Air Quality Study -- built around the university’s AIRMAP (Atmospheric Investigation, Regional Modeling, Analysis and Prediction) program.

The latter will bring scientists, aircraft and ships from around the world to New Hampshire in July to increase understanding of the physics and chemistry of the atmosphere, and UNH will be the leading institution. The biggest project of its type in this decade, it is a direct result of Sen. Gregg’s support, concern for the environment and commitment to solutions through science.

“Historians would call it ‘sense of place,’ realtors would use the phrase ‘location, location, location,’” Aber continued. “For interdisciplinary environmental research, Gregg Hall is where critical mass and a supportive environment combine to bring interrelated disciplines and focused faculty, student and staff energy to bear on pressing regional and national needs. Last year, this building alone supported more than $11 million in externally funded research, creating more than 60 quality jobs and touching the academic activities of more than 120 students. I think that is called ‘impact.’ And for this and for all that he does for the university and the state, we say ‘thank you’ to Senator Judd Gregg.”