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Beam signing marks progress on IU Indianapolis’ new STEM Lab Building

By Maria Carrasquilla

November 17, 2025

The beam signing ceremony for the STEM Lab Building celebrated the construction progress of the Sciences and Engineering Lab Building. Me... From left, James Lin, Convergent Bioscience and Technology Institute executive director; IU Indianapolis Chancellor Latha Ramchand; Stephen Boehm, Institute for Health and Human Wellbeing executive director; and Phaedra Corso, IU associate vice president and vice chancellor for research at IU Indianapolis attend a beam-signing ceremony for the STEM Lab Building on Nov. 14 at IU Indianapolis. Photo by Liz Kaye, Indiana University

Indiana University Indianapolis marked a major milestone with a ceremonial beam signing Nov. 14 at the Science and Engineering Lab Building Atrium, celebrating progress on a significant expansion that will redefine the facility as the new STEM Lab Building upon completion in fall 2026.

Supported by a $60 million state investment, the STEM Lab Building will include the original Science and Engineering Lab Building and a new 52,000-square-foot addition. The new facility is designed to drive cross-disciplinary innovation and strengthen IU Indianapolis’ role as a catalyst for research and economic growth among the nation’s leading urban public research universities. The state investment will also fund renovations to several School of Science facilities to support IU Indianapolis’ growing research enterprise.

Chancellor Latha Ramchand shared remarks during the beam signing ceremony. Photo by Liz Kaye, Indiana University Chancellor Latha Ramchand shared remarks during the beam-signing ceremony. Photo by Liz Kaye, Indiana University“A $60 million investment from the state is truly exceptional,” IU Indianapolis Chancellor Latha Ramchand said. “We could not do this without that support.”

Hosted by the Office of the Chancellor, the beam-signing event highlighted collaboration among IU Research, IU Capital Planning and Facilities, and campus partners. Keynote speakers were Ramchand; Phaedra Corso, IU associate vice president and vice chancellor for research at IU Indianapolis; and James Lin, executive director of the Convergent Bioscience and Technology Institute. During the program, they emphasized how the project strengthens IU’s research infrastructure and fosters cross-disciplinary collaboration.

“Each signature on that beam is a pledge to the dedicated work that will start here at IU Indianapolis, and help build a healthier, stronger Indiana,” Ramchand said. “This investment in multidisciplinary research will enable our faculty and students to address some of the biggest challenges we face, from curing disease to improving lives.”

Corso reflected on the design process that shaped the facility, expressing gratitude to the building designers, faculty, department heads and staff who she said navigated the complex task of creating a forward-looking interdisciplinary research space with vision and patience.

“We are creating an incredibly versatile research space that will meet the needs of the institutes walking through the doors on day one,” she said. “But we’re also building a space that will serve the teams that come 10 years from now, when the science and research will be different.”

Corso also emphasized the building’s integrative purpose.

“The alignment between the academic and research sides of the university is remarkable, and it’s essential for the kind of interdisciplinary work this building will support,” she said.

STEM Lab Building beam signing

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Members of the IU Indianapolis community, construction workers and others sign a beam at a ceremony celebrating construction of the new S...
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Lin reflected on shaping the foundation for IU’s advancement in health innovation.

“About a year ago, I was invited to help build the Convergent Bioscience and Technology Institute from the ground up, working in parallel with Executive Director Stephen Boehm, who is helping build the Institute for Health and Human Wellbeing,” Lin said. “These two IU-wide research institutes, aligned with the IU 2030 strategic plan, represent a historic investment to anchor transformative health innovation across the university. It has been a privilege to help lay both the literal and figurative foundations for this ambitious effort.”

Lin also noted the facility’s importance to Indiana’s innovation economy.

“The research cores and advanced clusters we’re installing will accelerate disruptive science and translate discoveries into real products, industry engagement, and commercialization that benefit Indiana and beyond,” he said

Once completed, the STEM Lab Building will further IU Indianapolis’ Science and Technology Corridor, an innovation hub advancing STEM research. The new facility will include:

  • The Convergent Bioscience and Technology Institute and the Institute for Human Health and Wellbeing, which together advance IU’s $250 million bioscience initiative and position IU Indianapolis as a national leader in translational research — bridging fundamental discovery and industry application in health, medicine, life sciences and technology.
  • State-of-the-art laboratories and research cores, including:
    • A 3D bioprinting lab.
    • An advanced physics lab.
    • Bioscience research spaces supporting breakthroughs in diagnostics and wearable health technology.

Several IU staff, IU faculty, advisory board members and construction partners who have played an important role in steering the STEM Lab Building and renovations forward were acknowledged throughout the event.

“This was wonderful, and I feel very energized,” Ramchand said as she concluded the program, inviting all event attendees to sign the commemorative beam.

Maria Carrasquilla is an internal communications strategist in the Office of the Vice President for Communications and Marketing.