College Park, Md. -- The University of Maryland has begun construction of the new Maryland Neuroimaging Center (MNC), a major facility that will exponentially advance the university's already considerable capacity for research on the human brain. The university is renovating an 8000 square foot area of the Gudelsky Building, in north campus near the Courtyard Apartments, to house the center, which is expected to open its doors in summer 2011. The Maryland Neuroimaging Center is made possible by a $2 million award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and by a similar investment from the university, thanks to the joint efforts of many different colleges, departments and administrative units.

The goal of the center is to bring together under one roof the most advanced tools currently available for observing the human brain in action. Nathan Fox, Distinguished University Professor of Human Development and principal investigator of the NSF grant, said, "We're currently seeing a revolution in how people are able to observe the brain, and a dramatic growth in the range of people who are asking about how the brain works. Some technologies are ideal for asking where brain activity occurs, others are ideal for asking when it happens. A new wave of breakthroughs will come as we learn how to combine these different strengths, and the Maryland Neuroimaging Center will put Maryland in the center of that effort."