University of the Pacific has built two new state-of-the-art microbiology labs to support a growing number of students flocking to Pacific for its superior preparation of students interested in careers in health and science.

“We have growing numbers of fantastic students from across the country who want to come to Pacific to prepare for careers as dentists, doctors, nurses, pharmacists and more,” said Provost and Executive Vice President Gretchen Edwalds-Gilbert, the university’s chief academic officer and herself a microbiologist. “These labs will open more opportunities for experiential learning and advanced research, inspiring our outstanding students and providing them the best learning environments possible.”

The labs are housed in the Biological Laboratories Building of the Department of Biological Sciences, the largest unit in the College of the Pacific, which is the university’s school for sciences and the liberal arts.

“President (Christopher) Callahan and Provost Edwalds-Gilbert expressed the desire that the labs should be showcase facilities,” said Dean Lee Skinner. “Faculty were told to ‘design your dream labs.’ We wanted to build exceptional facilities for research and teaching.”

Pacific’s science faculty and degree programs are drawing increasing attention among students nationally interested in careers in health care. Microbiology is an essential pre-requisite for those academic programs.

Alice Chao '26, a third-year undergraduate from Memphis, Tennessee, said the addition of the modern equipment creates better work and learning environments.

“It makes things more accessible,” she said. “This is a huge step for the Biology Department.”

Christina Zhang ’26, a second-year graduate student and teacher’s assistant, said the high-tech labs will help “kick start a passion for science.”

Professors Geoff Lin-Cereghino and Paul Orwin said the addition of powerful microscopes and other equipment will carve a niche for Pacific among California universities.

“The newer high-level lab and all the equipment it has will make us very unique in California. We will be distinctive,” Lin-Cereghino said. “Yes, it’ll look nicer and fresher, but we also updated equipment to make it more like what students would see if they got a job in the industry. Also, upper-division students will work with more state-of-the-art equipment. That will inspire research.”

Orwin is pleased by a specific addition.

“The new space will allow us to add to our advanced microbiology offerings and to conduct experiments with cutting-edge equipment in teaching and research settings,” he said. “I am particularly excited about using the new confocal microscope, which will enable us to do high-resolution imaging.”

The new lab equipment and construction cost $1.8 million.

“This is precisely the kind of investments we want to make at Pacific—deepening the learning of our students to increase their success,” the provost said.