Biology students at Sewanee will soon get their hands on some state-of-the-art research equipment after the school announced it will be receiving a $350,000 grant from the National Science Foundation.
The new equipment, to be used for research into computer screen materials, animal and human metabolism and the spread of diseases, will put hundreds of undergraduate students on the cutting edge of scientific research, officials said.
“This is going to have a massive impact on students. This is a tremendous opportunity,” said Dr. Robert Bachman, associate professor of chemistry at Sewanee: The University of the South and director of undergraduate research.
The new mass spectrometry system, which can break down the makeup of organisms and materials to better understand their functions, will aid in several significant, ongoing research initiatives at Sewanee, he said.
“It’s like if you had a cake but didn’t know what it was made of. You could put it down this machine and know it was made of sugar, butter, flour and a little vanilla,” Dr. Bachman said. “It provides insight into the identities of these molecules. It’s a way of taking apart a complicated mixture and identifying each part.”
One faculty-led project will research the Eastern red spotted newt, which, unlike many animals, stays active even as its body gets colder in the winter. The project could reveal some important information about how organisms, including people, regulate metabolism, said Nancy Berner, professor of biology at Sewanee.
“We will be investigating the properties that allow animals to be active when it’s cold, and this equipment allows us to do that,” she said.
By the numbers* $350,000 — Amount of award from the National Science Foundation* 1,500 — Number of undergraduate students enrolled at Sewanee.* 150 — Number of students who could use the new equipment each semesterSource: Sewanee
Professors and students also will be using the new equipment to study the use of fluorescent nanoparticles in labeling proteins. These particles, in the future, could be used to hook onto malformed proteins that cause mad cow disease.
The grant from National Science Foundation has been a long time in the making, Dr. Bachman said, and school officials hope it will be the first in a series of awards that can help the school modernize its equipment.
Students who train on the mass spectrometry system will have a much better chance of getting into some of the country’s most elite graduate programs, he said.
“The chemistry department here has, for the last eight or nine years, tried to move from a traditional teaching model to a more well-rounded liberal arts college with vigorous research components,” he said.
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