U.S. Army Center for Environmental Health Research leadership unveiled a new vivarium Jan. 29.

A vivarium is a facility used to keep plants or animals for observation and research. This vivarium allows USACEHR researchers to bring in-house their rodent studies, which had previously been conducted at commercial facilities, as well as area hospitals and universities.

USACEHR now has about 3,500 square feet of vivarium space, including the lab's pre-existing fish facility. Researchers will use the new vivarium for studies focused on behavioral health, environmental exposures, and nutrition.

"The new state-of-the-art vivarium is twice as large as the center's previous capacity and supports a 100 percent recyclable and disposable cage system, allowing for greater cost savings overall," said USACEHR's Integrated Systems Biology Program Director Dr. Marti Jett.

Turner Construction completed the project in 19 months.

A subordinate laboratory of the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense, USACEHR's mission is to develop surveillance capabilities to detect, prevent, and assess health effects from adverse environmental, physiological, psychological exposures. USAMRICD is one of 12 subordinate commands and six executive agencies supported by the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command, the Army's medical materiel developer focused on research, development and acquisition, and medical logistics management.