WOODS HOLE – The Marine Biological Laboratory has received a $25 million gift, the largest private contribution in the the center’s 137-year history.
The gift is unrestricted, and will be used to support core operations and infrastructure for education and research programs.
The donation was from Mark Terasaki, a Marine Bio Lab scientist who also works as a professor in the Department of Cell Biology at the University of Connecticut.
Terasaki said, “I am so pleased to be able to help support the MBL. The infrastructure costs are essential to keep it running. I have spent 40 consecutive summers at the MBL. I know it to be a magical place where wonderful interactions and insights occur,” said Terasaki.
He called the Lab’s educational program “world-class” and added, “This donation is part of the legacy of my late father, Paul Terasaki. He was a pioneer in human transplantation and founded One Lambda, a company specializing in transplant diagnostics.”
MBL Director Nipam Patel said, “Mark’s philanthropy represents the kind of support that is especially critical as sharp reductions in federal funding for basic biological research impede scientists’ ability to make the discoveries and technical advances that drive biological discovery forward.”
By Jim McCabe, CapeCod.com NewsCenter
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