A scanning electron microscope (SEM) worth $75,000 has been donated by RJ Lee Group, a Monroeville, Pennsylvania-based industrial forensics laboratory, to the Roane State Community College (RSCC) campus located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
The SEM will be used as a key element of an industrial forensics course that comes under a new certificate course in composite materials technology financed by a federal grant secured by RSCC as part of its participation in the 10-college National STEM Consortium.
Oak Ridge-based Materials and Chemistry Laboratory will offer technical support and samples for the SEM. Materials and Chemistry Laboratory’s President and Chief Executive Officer, Barry Stephenson stated that the company is happy to contribute to this significant project.
Dr. Ronald Sternfels, who serves as Chemistry Professor at RSCC, stated that the donation of technology, time and resources by the two companies will provide an inimitable learning opportunity to the students. With this SEM, students can now carry out their own research works, he said.
The President at RSCC, Dr. Gary Goff stated that the SEM enables students to find real-world applications corresponding to their learning in the classroom. This finding process encourages research works in the fields of STEM, which is important in developing workforce for the fields, he said. The college is grateful for this donation and the opportunities it brings in for its students, he added.