WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Congressman John Boccieri (D-Alliance) announced today the College of Wooster will receive nearly $296,000 in Recovery funds to purchase two x-ray machines that will enhance the university's research and educational opportunities.
"These federal funds are an investment in the long-term competitiveness of our district's students," said Boccieri. "By giving our students the tools they need to succeed, we not only produce the next generation of people who can critically think, multi-task and problem-solve, we ensure our ability to compete in the global marketplace for years to come."
According to Meagan Pollock, Assistant Professor in the Department of Geology at the College of Wooster, undergraduate research opportunities will be transformed by the new x-ray lab.
Pollock said, "The instruments will give us the ability to analyze the compositions of rocks, minerals, soils, and even archaeological artifacts. Students will be able to conduct authentic research in class, which will better prepare them for the challenges of our nationally recognized independent study (I.S.) program.
"I.S. students will be operating the instruments and performing their own geochemical analyses, providing them with hands-on experience and analytical skills that many students don't encounter until graduate school. Since the lab will be used by geologists, chemists, physicists, environmental scientists, and archaeologists, I anticipate that the new instruments will spark a great deal of interdisciplinary research. We are all very excited to add the new x-ray instruments to our excellent analytical facilities on campus."
These Recovery dollars will help purchase an x-ray diffractometer (XRD) and the x-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometer. According to the National Science Foundation, the availability of the x-ray machines helps all students at the university fulfill their independent study requirement and receive better training. The funding will also benefit existing outreach programs that target middle school girls, high school students, and local teachers by allowing them access to the equipment.
The XRD and XRF will support mineral phase identification, crystallographic structure refinements and elemental analysis of natural materials, respectively.
