once treated here. The statues are thought to have been modeled after characters in English author Lewis Carroll's novel Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865). The statues live along the walkway that leads to Dana Road. On June 8, 2017, New York Medical College opened the Center of Excellence in Precision Responses to Bioterrorism and Disasters. The center is the twelfth center of excellence in the state of New York, and the first in the Hudson Valley. The goal of the center is to maximize efficiency and effectiveness immediately after high-casualty events like terrorist attacks or natural disasters by improving resources provided to first responders. Additionally, the center provides training for responses to terror attacks and natural disasters, as well as researches response techniques to chemical and biological terror challenges. State Senator Terrence Murphy, a major supporter of state funding for the center, said the center "gives the region a vitally needed local resource to fight terrorism and potentially protect the lives of first responders and our families." After Empire State Development, New York state's economic development organization, designated the facility as a center of excellence, New York Medical College received a state grant of $500,000 for costs associated with operations. Explaining New York's goal for the center, Dr. Robert W. Amler, dean of the School of Health Sciences and Practice, said, "The state wants to bring innovation technology into each region in a way that will stimulate more outside investment from the federal government and private resources." In the future, New York Medical College, through the center, aims to achieve full development of an "austere medicine" training facility for first responders, including scenarios they will likely encounter in reality, like active shooter threats, fires, and car accidents. In this aspect of training, trainees must encounter smoke, fog, loud noises, explosion simulations, and a variety of other disorienting effects. Schools Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (GSBMS) The college's involvement in graduate education dates back to 1910 when its records show the existence of advanced courses and research programs. Graduate courses in surgery and medicine were offered in the 1920s. In 1938, the college's charter was amended to include the authority to offer graduate degrees. In 1963, the Graduate School of Medical Sciences was officially founded, establishing for the first time a center for graduate education separate from the medical curriculum. The school was renamed the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences in