The Hormel Institute, University of Minnesota is holding an open house and making a big announcement Saturday regarding its new Live Learning Center.

University of Minnesota mascot Goldy Gopher will be on hand to help with the announcement and open house from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday.

The public open house will be the last one until The Institute’s 2014-16 expansion grand opening on June 1, 2016. People can get a sneak peek at the Live Learning Center being built on the Institute’s west side, and attendees can meet and get a photo with Goldy Gopher.

The Institute is in the midst of an expansion to double the size of its facilities and jobs when completed in 2016. The $4.5 million Live Learning Center will feature innovative, global-communications technology in a 250-seat lecture hall along with a multipurpose room. The center’s state-of-the-art technology will help Institute staff accelerate cancer research discoveries and grow scientific collaborations around the world.

Fundraising is ongoing through spring 2016 for the Live Learning Center.