Recent Awards

In March 2010, a new X-ray diffraction system (XRD) arrived at St. Lawrence. Two grants, one from the George I. Alden Trust of Wooster, MA and one from the J. M. McDonald Foundation of Evergreen, CO, enabled the Department of Geology to acquire this important analytical tool that will replace an earlier model that has been on the SLU campus for 40 years! Because the XRD is a cornerstone equipment item within a comprehensive undergraduate geology curriculum, it was urgent to raise the funds to purchase a modern system. The XRD is extremely useful in helping scientists determine the composition and identity of natural and synthetic materials. It will be used at nearly all levels of the geology curriculum, from mid-level courses and labs, to higher-level research methods courses, to culminating independent senior-year experience (SYE) research projects, and student-faculty collaborative research. More than 60 geology students are expected to use the XRD annually through their coursework and mentored research. The XRD will also be used by faculty and students in the Departments of Chemistry and Physics.

In Chemistry, Associate Professor Samantha Glazier is a co-principal investigator on a new award from the NSF. The project, entitled "Major Research Instrumentation (MRI): Acquisition of an Isothermal Titration Calorimeter," is a partnership with investigators at nearby State University of New York at Potsdam (which served as the lead institution) and Clarkson University. The new ITC will facilitate Professor Glazier's investigations of the thermodynamic and kinetic parameters of drug-DNA threading mechanisms. Overall, the project is designed to prepare students for entry into the workforce and graduate or professional schools by introducing them to the latest scientific technologies and by training them on state-of-the art instruments that enhance their educational and research experiences.

With a grant award from the National Science Foundation (NSF), a team of scientists from St. Lawrence purchased a scanning electron microscope (SEM) in September 2009. The instrument will facilitate multidisciplinary research, research training, and undergraduate education and will be shared by faculty and students from the Departments of Geology, Biology, and Physics. Expected to make a significant impact on research and teaching within the University's science programs, the new SEM is housed in the Microscopy and Imagery Center in the new Johnson Hall of Science. For more information on how this new instrument will enhance key scientific research at St. Lawrence, please see the link above.