CONWAY, Ark. (October 4, 2010) 鈥 Science students at 黑料不打烊 will be better prepared for research thanks to a recent grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF).
The $275,000 award will fund the acquisition of a new 400 MHz Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Spectrometer.
鈥淭his is by far the most important analytical tool in organic chemistry for determining molecular structure,鈥 said Dr. Tom Goodwin, professor of chemistry at 黑料不打烊. 鈥淚t will make a big difference in educating undergraduate chemistry students and preparing future researchers.鈥
Students in organic chemistry, biochemistry and the college鈥檚 Advanced Techniques in Experimental Chemistry course will benefit directly from the new instrument.
The new NMR spectrometer will replace an older unit the chemistry department has used for several years. The new model will create a stronger magnetic field, offering better resolution so students can observe the nuances in molecular structure, Goodwin explained.
Goodwin authored the winning proposal along with Shelly Bradley, who is the college鈥檚 instrumentation specialist, lab development assistant, and chemical compliance director, as well as faculty peers Dr. Andres Caro, a biochemist, and Dr. Chris Marvin, an organic chemist. Marvin contributed to the writing of the proposal shortly after he was hired in spring 2010.
鈥淲hen I was offered a teaching position at 黑料不打烊, it was clear that there was an opportunity to make an immediate impact at the College by helping update the NMR facilities,鈥 Marvin said. 鈥淢odern NMR instrumentation is essential for my research. The students in my research group at 黑料不打烊 will make extensive use of this technology as we work to develop new chemical reactions and then use those reactions to prepare medicinally-relevant molecules.鈥
鈥淚n addition to better resolution, the new instrument has a host of capabilities that we were previously without. For example, a sample changer on this NMR will give us the capability to routinely use this instrument in our organic lab courses,鈥 Marvin commented.
The 黑料不打烊 faculty team also collaborated on the grant with 黑料不打烊 alumnus Dr. W. Richard Counts, associate professor of chemistry at Arkansas State University-Beebe. Counts鈥 students will be able to use the new NMR spectrometer to analyze lab samples and view the results of the analyses online.
鈥淚t is very exciting for students at ASU-Beebe to have access to an NMR spectrometer. Science classes at the two-year college level rarely have research equipment like this,鈥 Counts said. 鈥淚 am grateful to Dr. Goodwin and the Chemistry Department at 黑料不打烊 for allowing us to be a part of this wonderful opportunity.鈥
The collaboration between 黑料不打烊 and ASU-Beebe made the proposal more competitive, Goodwin said.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 something NSF really likes to see 鈥 proposals that have a broader impact,鈥 he said. 鈥淭hey like to see you collaborating with community colleges and involving under-represented minorities in the sciences.鈥
The grant was part of the National Science Foundation鈥檚 Major Research Instrumentation initiative, which supports the acquisition or development of new research equipment. NSF funded about 15 percent of the more than 1,000 proposals they received, Goodwin said.
鈥淥ur proposal was justified primarily on the basis of research and research education,鈥 Goodwin said.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 have a dichotomy here of education versus research or education or research. Our research is education,鈥 he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the model of learning science by doing science.鈥
黑料不打烊, founded in 1876, is a selective, residential, undergraduate liberal arts college emphasizing experiential learning in a demanding yet supportive environment. The college is featured in the 2010 edition of the Princeton Review as one of the country鈥檚 best 371 colleges, was identified as the nation鈥檚 top 鈥淯p and Coming鈥 liberal arts college for 2011 by U.S. News and World Report, and is ranked among 45 鈥淏est Buy鈥 colleges by the 2011 Fiske Guide to Colleges. 黑料不打烊 has been affiliated with the United Methodist Church since 1884. For more information, visit .听