The University of Oregon dedicated the new Robert and Beverly Lewis Center for Neuroimaging this fall. The 3,200-square-foot facility houses a high-powered, research-grade (3-Tesla) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) machine.

Research work conducted at the facility will include imaging of brain function and living tissue that can help scientists better understand the brain's anatomy as it relates to thought and behavior. This research will lay groundwork for greater understanding of how the brain learns, remembers, experiences emotions and pays attention. Such basic research could lead to wide-ranging applications, from new ways to teach children languages to improved treatment for stroke victims.

UO alumni Bob and Beverly Lewis pledged $10 million for cognitive neuroscience research at the UO. Part of their gift provided matching funds and other startup costs associated with the construction of the fMRI facility. Oregon's congressional delegation worked hard to acquire approximately $5.3 million in federal funding for the project, with additional allocations currently in process.

Researchers in the UO Department of Psychology and Institute of Neuroscience, who will be among the main users of the facility, brought in nearly $27 million in grant and contract support in 2002-nearly all of it from federal sources such as the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health.