Mayor Kevin Faulconer and 52nd District Rep. Scott Peters were among the officials at a Sept. 1 grand opening for what is believed to be the first public biotech laboratory in the world, located in a city library branch in La Jolla.
The lab, located at the La Jolla-Riford Library, at 7555 Draper Ave., the result of a partnership between the city library system and San Diego Wet Lab, offers classes and workshops to educate students and other residents on biology. It also gives the public the opportunity to use equipment, such as DNA amplifiers, that is typically available to universities and private researchers.
The Wet Lab holds free lectures on a variety of topics related to science, workshops and projects in La Jolla and downtown San Diego.
“The library’s mission is to inspire lifelong learning through connections to knowledge and each other,” said Misty Jones, the city library director. “We are naturally technology facilitators and guides to the future. We know that fun and educational workshops pique the interest in the sciences among young people.”
Peters said the area’s “thriving” science and research communities make it the perfect place for such a “bold and unprecedented venture” to succeed.
“The realization of this public-private partnership will expose students to careers in STEM fields and prepare them to be a part of our future workforce,” Peters said. “I hope that this laboratory provides a model for others to follow in our region and around the country.”
STEM refers to the academic disciplines of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The term is typically used when addressing education policy and curriculum choices in schools to improve competitiveness in science and technology development.
“Installing a functional molecular biology laboratory in a library is no ordinary feat,” Faulconer said. “This is a revolutionary concept, and I’m proud to say San Diego is one of the first. Today, we are literally making innovation a public resource, which is fitting for a world-class city of innovation.”