<p>^
I second that. Chicago has long been comparatively weak in organismal biology relative to its evolutionary and molecular bio offerings, and this should be a great opportunity for both students and faculty if the link established between the two is a strong one. </p>
<p>It’s interesting that the MBL went so far afield. Its partnership with Brown makes sense since it’s less than 2 hours away. There are much closer universities than Chicago, though – for example, BU (which already has a respectable marine science program), Harvard (which has the MBL director on faculty), and Yale. It makes sense to ignore MIT, of course, since it’s already partnered with the much larger WHOI.</p>