Experiments Ruined by Renovations

Scientists at the University's Biological Laboratories building say the ongoing $25 million renovation of the building has damaged numerous experiments over the last few months.

Complaints range from contaminated experiments to high noise levels. They flooded our lab and a lab down the hall," said Miriam L. Greenberg, a postdoctoral fellow who has worked at the labs for three years. "It's the dumbest thing they ever wanted to do."

The renovations, which began last April, are aimed at modernizing the facilities of the half-century-old structure. Workers are removing potentially hazardous asbestos insulation and repairing pipes, windows, the air exhaust system and cracked walls.

But the work, once scheduled to be finished in April 1984, has run into delays and is now expected to be completed no earlier than July 1984, according to Charles J. Ciotti, who directs the building's administration Ciotti blamed the delays on "unavoidable problems" and on the complexity of the problem.

Ciotti said the delays could also boost the cost of the project. "The problems are extremely serious," he said, adding. "We're working through them."

But because the building hasn't been shut down during the massive overhaul, scientists say, their work has been damaged.

Brian Carilli, assistant facility manager for labs, acknowledged the professors' grievances, but said disruptions were caused by the "complex nature" of the job." The workers shut things off or touch things that they aren't supposed to," he said, adding. "Our batting average is not good right now, but we're trying to improve it."

But Doug K. Bishop, a third-year graduate student who has worked at the labs for three years, said officials are "very naive to think they could do all this without disrupting the scientists, which is impossible." He added. "It's become more than an inconvenience There isn't any sense to it."

The building was not closed down since there was no place to move the scientists or their work, Carilli said, adding. "It's not easy to tell a professor he has to stop his research for two or three years."

In one case, Carilli said, workers were spray-painting a wall and "somehow the paint seeped through an unseen crack and got into a professor's storage room--which is something she couldn't tolerate."

He added. "We've had incidents where everything is taped up and there is a small crack somewhere and bang!--a professor's room of cultures is full of contaminating dust."

But he defended the decision not to move the scientists, saying no acceptable alternative was available.