U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) (center) was among dignitaries attending a ribbon-cutting dedicating the new Diagnostic Instrumentation and Analysis Laboratory building. Cochran's office was instrumental in securing federal support for the $8.8 million research facility. Others attending included (l-r) College of Engineering Dean Wayne Bennett; Dr. W. Steve Shepard, DIAL director emeritus; President Malcolm Portera; former MSU president Donald Zacharias; state Sen. Glenn Hamilton of Maben; and Acting Vice President for Research Melvin Ray. The 58,000-square-foot building is located in the Mississippi Research and Technology Park. A major College of Engineering research unit since 1980, DIAL is the university's longest continuous research program.