Five faculty members in the Grinnell College Department of Chemistry have been awarded a Major Research Instrumentation Grant of $399,990 by the National Science Foundation (CHE- 2216273). The grant, along with a $195,000 grant recently awarded to Professor Andy Mobley and the department by the Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust, will fund the purchase of a 400MHz Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectrometer, broadening the possibilities of campus research and hands-on learning. Faculty members Andy Mobley, Erick Leggans, Steve Sieck, Molly MacInnes, and Leslie Lyons wrote and submitted several iterations of the NSF MRI grant proposal, which ultimately rose to the top of an extremely competitive pool of applications.
“By reputation, NMR spectrometers are one of the toughest instruments to get from the NSF MRI program due to a very high volume of proposals,” noted Susan Ferrari, assistant dean and director of corporate, foundation, and government relations. “The faculty applicants for this grant displayed remarkable persistence and grace, resubmitting their proposal several times to become successful awardees of this elusive grant.”
The new 400MHz NMR spectrometer will replace a heavily used instrument that has reached the end of its lifespan and will improve pedagogy and faculty-student research. Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy allows scientists to observe the local magnetic fields surrounding an atom’s nucleus and to collect detailed information about the electronic structure of a molecule. Grinnell chemistry students use NMR spectroscopy extensively in their curricula, analyzing the instrument’s output to identify unknown molecules or to study their structure, reaction state, and chemical environment.
The instrument upgrade will also better support the research aims of faculty in the chemistry and biological chemistry departments, including those of early-career faculty members. In her research, MacInnes, assistant professor of chemistry, develops systems to detect and remove trace lanthanide metals from water streams. To study the movement of these electrically charged metal complexes within a separation system, she depends upon accurate and reliable NMR readings.
As part of the Carver Trust grant, Mobley will collaborate with Vanessa Preast in the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment to observe the evolution of students’ competency with the new NMR spectrometer as they make their way through the chemistry curriculum. The assessment will guide faculty as they improve how the instrument is incorporated to provide students with authentic research experiences.
About the National Science Foundation Major Research Instrumentation Grant
The Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) Program of the National Science Foundation supports acquisition or development of multi-user scientific instruments too costly to be typically supported by other research granting programs. The program distributes approximately 150 grants of up to $4 million annually, funding research instrumentation and instrument development critical to fundamental science research and to training the next generation of scientists.
About the Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust
The Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust awards grants to I.R.S.-designated, 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organizations. The majority of grants are given to organizations located in, and for projects to be conducted within, the state of Iowa and portions of Illinois, as well as to other organizations in which Carver had an interest during his lifetime. The Carver Trust supports biomedical and scientific research, scholarships, and programs addressing the educational and recreational needs of youth.
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