Dec. 19—Hood College has received a $2.3 million grant from The Hodson Trust to fund the expansion and renovation of its science center, the school announced Monday.

The money will help pay for a 32,000-square-foot addition to the Hodson Science and Technology Center, which houses all of the college's science programs, from physics to nursing.

The updated building will also house Hood's future Biomedical Research and Training Center, which the college says will be led jointly by Hood faculty and scientists from regional companies.

"We are incredibly thankful for The Hodson Trust's ongoing support of the College and our mission," Hood President Andrea Chapdelaine said in a news release. "The Hodson Trust has enabled Hood to impact countless lives via their annual gifts to the College."

The trust, established in 1920, distributes grants to colleges across Maryland each year.

Hood received $6.8 million from the state of Maryland for the expansion via the MICUA Capital Grant Program in July, as well as $500,000 from the Maryland Department of Commerce E-Nnovation Initiative in October, which will support the search for a director of the biomedical research center.

The Hodson Center was originally constructed in 1957. Crews completed additions in 2000 and 2014.

The building's capacity has been stretched thin as Hood has added to its STEM offerings in recent years. Programs such as sustainability, coastal watersheds study, cybersecurity and bioinformatics didn't exist when the building was planned, officials told the News-Post earlier this year.

Hood is also launching a new School of Behavioral and Health Sciences, which will accommodate growth in majors like psychology, public health and more. All of those students need to take basic lab science classes in the Hodson Center, too.

The Hodson project will update the technology throughout the center and add additional lab space.

Crews will also reconfigure the lab installed by California-based pharmaceutical company Kite. The company partnered with Hood last year to train Kite employees and Hood students in immunotherapy drug production.

Kite focuses on cell therapy and has a manufacturing facility in Urbana. When the Hodson Center renovations are complete, the Kite lab at Hood will be available for use by Frederick's growing community of biomedical professionals.

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