Grant for lab equipment awarded to Fairmont State University

Fairmont State University has received a $20,000 grant from the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission’s STaR: Science, Technology & Research to purchase a Fourier-transform infrared spectrometer. 

STaR’s Instrumentation Grant Program is focused on providing lab equipment to students in West Virginia to help support them as they pursue education in STEM fields. 

According to an article on Fairmont State University's website, the professors who applied for the grant funding, Drs. Andreas Baur, Jojo Joseph, Daniel Sadowsky, and Matt Scanlon, intend for the spectrometer to get plenty of use throughout the core curriculum: “Our students will be using the new FTIR spectrometer in a variety of contexts across the core laboratory curriculum,” said Sadowsky.

The FTIR spectrometer is an upgrade to the current suite of equipment in the Department of Natural Science. The new spectrometer will see annual use from approximately 150 students and will be used for tasks like identifying compounds and quantitative analysis. 

Describing just how beneficial this new equipment will be for the science programs at Fairmont State University, Sadowsky explained, “In the chemistry program here at Fairmont State, we deliberately have small class sizes and really focus on hands-on, practical experience in the laboratory. The new FTIR spectrometer will absolutely have an impact; the students will be using state-of-the-art technology and pushing it to its limits. Developing a deep familiarity with the capabilities of such a versatile instrument gives them good preparation for graduate school or employment in a wide variety of industries.”

For more information about Fairmont State University, visit the school’s website.