OU Stephenson School of Biomedical Engineering received a $3.5 million gift from Michael Turner, a 1961 graduate of the OU Gallogly College of Engineering, to fund equipment, recruit faculty and enhance the college’s research, OU announced in a Monday press release.
The press release stated $2 million will fund immunoengineering research equipment and an IVIS Spectrum CT imaging machine. The remaining gift was said to fund other equipment needs. The press release stated the equipment is necessary to fulfill the college’s faculty recruitment and retention goals.
“These gifts provide critical research equipment, enable faculty across the college to elevate their research impact and provide valuable experiences to graduate and undergraduate students alike,” John Klier, dean of the College of Engineering, said in the press release.
Turner has previously gifted funds to the university to found and grow the college of biomedical engineering, according to the press release, with his history of support amounting to over $6.5 million, including the gift announced Monday.
The press release stated Turner’s previous donations helped to launch OU’s first undergraduate biomedical engineering class in 2016. He has also since established an endowed chair to help the school attract faculty and staff, according to the press release.
“Michael Turner was an early supporter of biomedical engineering at OU who has seen the evolution of the Stephenson School from its beginnings to the success story we are today,” Michael Detamore, director of the Stephenson School of Biomedical Engineering, said in the press release. “His latest contributions truly empower our current world-class faculty and future faculty hires to elevate pioneering research toward improving technology for patient care in Oklahoma and around the world.”
