02 Sep 2014

Lab equipment will help students excel in research

Lab equipment will help students excel in research

The School of Sciences, Mathematics and Engineering held a workshop titled “Faculty Instrumentation (HPLC) Workshop” on May 7.  The workshop was led by Mr. Ted Root of JSP Instrumentation and Controls, LLC.

The purpose of the workshop was to train all science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) faculty on the proper use and maintenance of High Pressure Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) Instrumentation. HPLC is an analytical technique used for the separation of compounds and small soluble molecules in a particular solvent. HPLC has contributed to analytical solutions in diverse fields such as pharmaceuticals, food science, life sciences, environmental sciences, forensics, etc.

“Students will be trained on these instruments and will come away with laboratory skills that will prove very useful for immediate employment in diagnostic laboratories that employ HPLC equipment for qualitative and quantitative analysis and product development,” said Mark Melton, associate professor of biology and dean of the School of Sciences, Mathematics and Engineering.  “Additionally, the training will be useful in graduate and professional school programs that require implementation of the instruments in research.”

Two HPLC instruments are now housed in the School of Sciences, Mathematics and Engineering’s Instrumentation Analysis Laboratory, which were donated by FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies, USA, Inc. The instruments, if they were purchased new, are valued at $120,000. The two HPLC instruments and other equipment were donations to the School as a result of an ongoing partnership/collaboration between Dr. Melton and Professor Alieu Wurie with JSP Instrumentation and Controls, LLC.

Each faculty member received a Certificate of Participation for their attendance at the workshop.