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Collective donations from UT alumna total nearly $45 million

The donations will cement the university's reputation as having one of the top programs for ecological and evolutionary biology research in the nation.

AUSTIN, Texas — A recent estate transfer to the University of Texas at Austin from alumna Lorraine "Casey" Stengl brings the lifetime totals of Stengl and her partner's gifts to nearly $45 million.

According to UT News, this transfer made the Stengl-Wyer Endowment the largest endowment in the College of Natural Sciences. It said the donation will cement the university's reputation for having one of the top programs for ecological and evolutionary biology research in the nation.

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Stengl and her partner, Lorraine Wyer, gifted a tract of land to the university in 1991 and purchased adjacent land to extend it in 2015, according to UT News. It said Stengl Lost Pines Biological Station is now nearly 600 acres and valued at $6 million.

UT Biodiversity Center director David Hillis said Stengl's support has already catalyzed major advances in biological research, UT News reported.

"For researchers, the site is a treasure, and for students, this place changes lives," said Hillis.

UT News said the funding from the estate will also support new initiatives in other life science departments, with a focus on biological research of plants, animals and microbes.

WATCH: UT announces $160M endowment for free tuition for some students

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