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AstraZeneca Equipment Donation Part of a Team Effort

 (Worcester, MA – April 20, 2004)  When AstraZeneca, one of the top five pharmaceutical companies in the world, moved some of their research activities in Worcester to their recently expanded research fcility in Waltham, the move resulted in a number of pieces of laboratory equipment becoming surplus. Rather than selling them on the open market, the company made an effort to see if there were local organizations in need of this type of equipment. Worcester State College was a perfect fit.

For Worcester State College’s Shirley Hassett, a biology lab instructor, the equipment, worth about $40,000, was a “wonderful addition to our lab. Today we have almost brand new cabinets, gel dryers, cell disruptors, refrigerator/freezer and electrophoresis gel apparatus. We were also given boxes of filter flasks, pipets and disposable plasticware. During these tight budget times, this kind of donation is most appreciated,” she said.

Along with the gift of equipment was the donation of time and effort from AstraZeneca’s facilities project staff. According to Frank Minniti, facilities project coordinator at AstraZeneca R&D Boston, Astra Zeneca's staff “made the extra effort to identify a worthy recipient and pack and deliver the equipment to the college. It was a great team effort,” he said.

AstraZeneca was recently named one of FORTUNE magazine’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” in the US in 2003.

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