E-Insight

May 2005

Equine Reproduction Laboratory to be Dedicated May 12

The new Equine Reproduction Laboratory will celebrate its opening with a dedication ceremony on Thursday, May 12. Construction of the laboratory, located at the Colorado State University Foothills Research Campus, was funded by the Walton Family Foundation Inc. The dedication will include remarks by Dr. Larry Edward Penley, President of Colorado State University, a ribbon cutting ceremony and tours of the facility. Dr. Terry M. Nett, Associate Dean, Research and Graduate Education, CVMBS, will be Master of Ceremonies for the dedication.

In 2002, Walton Family Foundation Inc. gave Colorado State University a $2.5 million gift to build two new facilities in support of equine reproduction and orthopaedic research, and fund several special research positions during the duration of the five-year grant.

One million dollars of the gift was designated to build a new teaching facility at the Equine Reproductive Center as well as new laboratories in existing buildings. The Equine Reproduction Laboratory also includes overnight amenities so that students and caretakers can provide round-the-clock care to mares as they foal and provide security to valuable horses housed at the laboratory.

"The Equine Reproduction Laboratory allows us to augment the care we currently give horses in the reproductive program while providing better facilities for our students to study equine reproduction," said Dr. Ed Squires, professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences and equine reproduction expert.

The remainder of the Walton Family Foundation gift was used to construct space for MRI equipment located at the Gail Holmes Equine Orthopaedic Research Center, and to fund several key research positions in equine reproduction and orthopaedics.

Since its start in 1967, the Equine Reproduction Research program at Colorado State has obtained national and international recognition. Research at the University has resulted in development of a large number of technical procedures and management schemes, such as semen freezing, embryo transfer, egg transfer and frozen embryos that currently are used in the equine industry.