Planting a research center in the arboretum
As blossoms unfurl at the Arnold Arboretum, Harvard’s plant scientists are welcoming the opening of more than just flowers this spring, as the Arboretum’s new Weld Hill Research Building fills with staff, scientists, and sophisticated equipment. The 44,000-square-foot building received final approvals from Boston in December, and since then has been awash in moving boxes and crates. One of the first occupants was the arboretum’s new director, William “Ned” Friedman, the Arnold Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology. Friedman, an esteemed botanist who came to Harvard from the University of Colorado, took over the arboretum’s leadership in January, his start dovetailing nicely with that of the building that will be his new home. During a walk through the building shortly after his arrival, Friedman enthusiastically showed the new labs and equipment, and spoke of the community he hopes will grow among scientists who work in the open, shared laboratory spaces. “By getting the walls...