Sep 24 2010
The Department of Chemistry and Physics at the University of South Carolina Aiken is pleased to announce it has received funding this week from the National Science Foundation to purchase a state-of-the-art Raman microscope that will be the only instrument of its kind at any university or college in South Carolina.
The microscope will be used for spectroscopy and imaging applications of novel materials and biological samples, with the following research goals: the development of novel nanotechnology-based sensors that are to be used for low-level uranium detection, the study and investigation of the diseased state of coral sea fans, and to analyze and characterize novel hydrogen storage materials developed by the Toyota Corporation.
The grant is for three years and totals $264,821.00, of which $245,000 will be used to purchase the spectroscopy system for research and teaching. NSF is the premier national organization for the funding of scientific research in the nation. For this specific program, 993 proposals were received from around the nation. About 150 proposals were ultimately funded, representing only a 15 percent funding success rate.
"We're very excited about it and feel very fortunate," said Dr. Chad Leverette, an associate professor of Chemistry at USC Aiken who was the grant's principal investigator.
The grant was funded through the Major Research Instrumentation program, which according to the NSF "serves to increase access to shared scientific and engineering instruments for research and research training in our Nation's institutions of higher education, museums, science centers, and not-for-profit organizations. This program especially seeks to improve and expand the scope of research in science through shared instrumentation that fosters the integration of research and education in research-intensive learning environments."
USCA's Dr. Monty Fetterolf (Chemistry and Physics) and Dr. Garriet Smith (Biology and Geology) were co-principal investigators in the grant, and the proposal also included scientists from the Toyota Corporation and the Savannah River National Laboratory.
"This instrument is the state-of-the-art in spectroscopy and chemical imaging and represents an enormous increase in the analytical research capabilities at USC Aiken and for the USC system. Once placed at USCA, it will be the only instrument of its kind at any university or college in South Carolina," Dr. Leverette stated.
Reviewers of the proposal commented that the USCA Chemistry and Physics Department has a "thriving undergraduate research program" and a "strong tradition of outreach" to the greater scientific community. Another reviewer commented that "the proposed activities will make important contributions to the fields of nanoscience, analytical chemistry, and coral microbiology" and that this grant "will expand the opportunities for education and training for students traditionally underrepresented in the sciences."
There also will be a large community involvement piece to the grant, with the new instrument being make available to the public, to include at a Project SEED science event that takes place each year for elementary and high school students.
"We are going to have some forensic experiments/demonstrations that require the use of the instrument," Dr. Leverette said. "We want to let them actually use the microscope. We also plan to use the instrument for student recruitment. We are planning to have a Chemistry Freshman Friday orientation event where we invite prospective students to campus. They will learn about our campus/department and then we will let them actually use this instrument and others."
Source: http://web.usca.edu/