The Chemistry Department Equipment Fund is used to purchase smaller instruments or equipment for use in our teaching and research laboratories. Our students use the equipment in collaboration with faculty as part of a teaching laboratory or research program.
For Day of Giving, we are raising funds for a tabletop centrifuge for our forensic chemistry program. A centrifuge allows for the separation of a solid matrix from the analyte containing supernatant solution. Associate Prof. Holly O’Neill’s students will be using it in the Advanced Forensic Chemistry Lab and in their collaborative research. One of their projects focusses on a presumptive technique to differentiate hemp from cannabis based on the concentration of THC in the plant material.
If we raise sufficient funds, we will also purchase upgraded hand-held pH meters which are compatible with a larger range of electrodes. These measurements are fundamental to a variety of analytical techniques taught in our analytical, biochemistry, inorganic and physical chemistry laboratories.
Thank you to all who supported us in the past and will consider giving this year. Your gifts have gone a long way. For Day of Giving last year, Associate Prof. Sied Adem requested fluoride ion selective electrodes to use in the analytical lab. An anonymous donor generously funded all the needed electrodes. Because of the donation, we also purchased six Vernier LabQuest 3 devices. These updated devices integrate with several existing sensors and will be used in nearly all our teaching labs.
