Lincoln, Neb., Nov. 14, 2002--Three substantial grants from the National Science Foundation over the past two years have funded new research tools now in operation in the Chemistry Department at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Two additional grants have enabled significant upgrades to facilities in Hamilton Hall.
Professor Gerry Harbison spearheaded the drive for a $900,000 grant for the purchase of a 600 MHz nuclear magnetic resonance imager, which is akin to medical MRI imagers. The instrument, now operational in the basement of Hamilton Hall, supports research in chemistry, structural biology and materials science.
A group led by Professor James Takacs won a $400,000 grant for the purchase of a 400 MHz nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer capable of real-time, flow-through sampling of reaction mixtures, one of the first such NMRs to be installed at an academic institution.
A group led by Professor Larry Parkhurst, working in conjunction with the Center for Material Research and Analysis, was awarded a $240,000 NSF Materials Instrumentation Grant to support purchase of an automated diffractometer. The instrument, which allows analysis of molecular structure through X-ray diffraction, supports research in chemistry and materials science.
In addition to these new instrumentation projects, Parkhurst, working with Prem Paul, vice chancellor for research, put together two successful National Institutes of Health proposals to renovate the seventh and eighth floors of Hamilton Hall. The grants, which each brought in nearly $2 million from NIH, were made possible by matching funds from the Chancellor's Office and from a state-funded infrastructure upgrade. Renovation of these two floors will begin early next year.
CONTACT: Pat Dussault, Professor & Chair, Chemistry, (402) 472-2781 (pdussault1@unl.edu)
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