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	Labs and Equipment

Mary Tecklenburg, center, discusses the technology in the spectroscopy laboratory with graduate students.

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Labs and Equipment

Departments

Each department has specialized laboratories and equipment to support student and faculty learning and research. Some notable features are listed below.

	Biology
	Chemistry
	Computer Science
	Engineering and Technology
	Geography
	Geology
	Mathematics
	Physics

Biology

	Aquatic Lab
	Water Research Center
	Radioisotope equipment
	Superspeed and ultrasensitive centrifuge
	Microbiology, molecular biology, and genetics laboratories
	High performance/high pressure liquid chromatograph
	Neithercut Woodland Nature Center

Chemistry

	Gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer
	Liquid chromatographic systems/FPLC
	Ultraviolet, Fourier transform infrared, NMR, and Laser Raman spectrometers
	Single crystal and powder X-ray diffraction
	EPR spectrometer
	Thermal analysis equipment including DSC, TGA, and DMA

Computer Science

	Unix and PC labs that support:
		General and system programming
		Computer graphics
		Databases
		Networking
		Operating systems
		Software engineering
		Computer security
		Multimedia
		Internet programming

Engineering and Technology

	Computer-Aided Design, Manufacturing, Engineering (CAD/CAM/CAE)
	Rapid prototyping
	Robotics/Automation/Virtual workcell design
	Programmable Logic Controls (PLC)
	Electronics/Instrumentation
	Plastics/Composite Materials processing and mechanical properties testing
	Computerized Graphics Lab
	Metallurgy Testing Center
	Fuel/Lubricant Testing and Development Facility
	3-D Body Scanner with thermal imaging

Geography

	Labs dedicated for:
		GIS
		Remote sensing
		Image processing
	Geographic Information Systems Center
	Meteorology Lab

Geology

	Geochemical laboratories capable of determining major, minor and trace elements in solid and liquid samples. Equipment includes:
		X-Ray Fluorescence Spectrometer
		Electron Microprobe
		ICP-MS
		Ion Chromatograph
	Groundwater monitoring equipment
	Computer-modeling facilities
	Rock and mineral analysis laboratories (including petrographic microscopes equipped for microphotography and fluid inclusion analysis)
	Paleontology laboratory
	Geophysics laboratory

Mathematics

	Macintosh Lab (35 iMac, 5 Mac Towers G4)
	Portable Wireless Notebook (iBook G3) Computer Lab (36)
	Gateway 2000 PC Lab (35)
	Calculator-based laboratory devices
	Calculator-based rangers
	TI-92 Plus classroom set
	Vernier LabPro Data Collection Devices
	Sensors for: light, temperature, voltage, gas pressure, pH, 3-D accelerometer, force

Physics

	Thin Films Lab
	Flash evaporation capabilities, Lambda-19 spectrophotometer, and DSC-7
	Laser Spectroscopy Lab
		Dye, diode, pulsed and CW lasers and associated equipment capable of high-resolution spectroscopic measurements and time-resolved fluorescence experiments
	Polymer Physics/Rheology Lab
		AR2000 rheometer with extend temperature module and both electro- and magneto- rheological capabilities
		Vilastic-3 capillary rheometer with temperature control for biofluids
		Molecular dynamics simulation software
	Condensed Matter/X-Ray Diffraction Lab
		X'Pert PRO diffractometer capable of analyzing polycrystalline, nano-crystalline, and amorphous materials
		Applied crystallographic modeling and simulation software
	Center for High Performance Scientific Computing (CHiPS.Comp)
		40+ processor Beowulf cluster running Linux with MPI and PBS Pro
	Brooks Astronomical Observatory
	Electronics Shop and Machine Shop
		Each staffed with a full-time technician

Spectroscopy is used in satellites, infrared imaging, scanners, sensors, and detectors. In particular, Raman spectroscopy uses laser light to look at light scattered from a sample. Slight shifts in wavelengths reveal the energies of molecular vibrations, which in turn provide information about molecular structure.

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