In the news: Science gets a boost for IC students
Illinois College students will be among those to benefit from a $300,000 piece of equipment designed for forensic chemistry, chemistry, biology and agriculture studies.
One of the goals of the approved proposal is to revolutionize undergraduate chemistry curriculum with engaging, easy-to-perform and cutting-edge labs
From an article by Jodi Pospeschil, for the Journal-Courier
Illinois College students will be among those to benefit from a $300,000 piece of equipment designed for forensic chemistry, chemistry, biology and agriculture studies.
Although the money for a liquid chromatograph mass spectrometer was granted to Western Illinois University in Macomb, the application was made in collaboration with faculty from Monmouth College, Quincy University, Bradley University and Illinois College, and students from those schools will have access to the equipment for their academic work and research.
Jocelyn Lanorio, assistant professor of chemistry at Illinois College, will be the senior personnel overseeing IC’s use of the instrument. Lanorio is a member of the Western Illinois Mass Spectrometry Center, which is being created to coordinate training sessions, research activities, hands-on laboratory experiments, summer workshops, outreach activities and dissemination of research results.
According to Lanorio, the ability to access this equipment will enhance a number of science courses and research projects at Illinois College.
“One of the goals of the approved proposal is to revolutionize undergraduate chemistry curriculum with engaging, easy-to-perform and cutting-edge labs,” she said. “This also opens up opportunity to teach and conduct new kinds of research in forensic chemistry.”
The instrument will be housed under the direction of WIU assistant professor of forensic chemistry Liguo Song.
“The mass spectrometer weighs molecules and helps us identify them by weight,” said Song. “We are excited about this award because it recognizes our research capabilities and how important the new equipment is to our programs.”
The machine will arrive on the campus of WIU in spring 2019.
“Then we will have the whole summer to work with it,” said Song. ‘This is so very useful to our faculty and students and the faculty and students at our partner institutions. It really was a team effort with the college, the department and the other universities.”