The University of Nebraska recently announced plans to create a center for Brain, Biology and Behavior as part of a joint project between researchers and the athletics department.

The center, approved unanimously by the board, will be located later this year in half of a 50,000-square-foot research area in the East Stadium addition to Memorial Stadium. It will cost $1.5 million.

It will house a radiology unit and a state-of-the-art functional magnetic resonance imaging magnet, allowing research related to behavior and performance, including the study of concussions.

The center falls in line with a 2010 initiative in the Big Ten conference geared toward concussion management. The conference is also partnering with the Ivy League schools to study the causes and effects of head injuries in sports. Nebraska’s research facility will be paid for entirely through private contributions and is expected to be completed by July 2015.

– Marcas Grant, contributing editor