LPA Director of Laboratory Planning Isabel Mandujano and Andrea Ingersoll Totte, a senior laboratory planner, were recently announced as Founding Officers of the new Texas Chapter of the International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories (I2SL).
Mandujano and Ingersoll Totte will each sit on the new Texas Chapter’s Board of Directors; Mandujano will focus her efforts on North Texas; and Ingersoll Totte will concentrate on the Central region.
Mandujano has been an I2SL member since 2019 and has found it an “invaluable resource in terms of education and inspiration in the quest to advance sustainability in laboratory design.” She has also served as a presenter at the organization’s annual conference.
“Texas is poised as an emerging market for the biotech and life sciences industry, making this new chapter all-the-more important,” Mandujano said. “It will bring opportunities for like-minded professionals, organizations and research institutions to collaborate in creating a more sustainable future for laboratories in our region.”
Ingersoll Totte’s passion is “to provide safe, human-centric sustainable, efficient spaces” tailored to each of her clients. I2SL facilitates important discussions within the science and technology community that may not otherwise occur.
“I2SL encourages the development of high-tech facilities that address the rapid pace of science, medicine, research and development in an ever-changing and dynamic environment,” Ingersoll Totte said. “The coalescence of ideas brought to the table by a cross-section of those in and supporting the science and technology industry allows us to locally address global laboratory needs.”
I2SL, which is dedicated to advancing sustainable laboratories globally, has more than 15 chartered chapters. The Texas Chapter of I2SL will focus on promoting the mission of sustainable laboratories through education resources such as My Green Lab, Laboratory Benchmarking Tool and the Smart Labs Toolkit and a host of program offerings including quarterly meetings composed of technical presentations, laboratory tours, webinars, an Education Day and Holiday Party, Mandujano said.
“Our chapter will provide networking opportunities, educational presentations and resources, lab tours and other events that engage the local community and bring awareness to topics that promote sustainability in design, operation and use of laboratories,” Mandujano says.
