Students have opportunities to use research labs for course projects and independent research work.

Our science departments have a variety of collections for teaching and research activities.

Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) is among the most widely used instrumental methods for microscopic analysis. SEM provides surface details of objects at high magnifications, excellent depth of field, clarity, and color contrast. Our JEOL JSM-5910LV SEM system has two operational modes: high-vacuum (HV) msode and low-vacuum (LV) mode. In the HV mode, its magnification is up to 100,000X with the best possible resolution of submicrometer in the SEI operation. The LV mode is used to observe nonconductive specimens such as polymers and biospecimens.

Scanning Probe Microscopy (SPM) is a modern scientific instrumentation for 3-dimentional surface characterization of nanomaterials. Our SPM instrument, NT-MDT Solver Next, has these operational modes: Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM), Magnetic Force Microscopy (MFM), Electric Force Microscopy (EFM), and Scanning Capacitance Microscopy (SCM).

This advanced optical microscope, Olympus BX53M in the geology lab, uses the illumination technology of combining directional darkfield, brightfield, fluorescence, or polarization to highlight material surface features. The instrument works with imaging process software for accurate structure, phase, 2D/3D microanalysis and is attached to a Linkam THMSG600 - Geology System Fluid Inclusion Stage that can be used to study fluids trapped within minerals during their formation.

The Nikon Eclipse Ti-E Inverted Microscope with Nikon’s NIS-Elements imaging software in our microbiology lab comes with the advanced optical microscope technology for users to employ the techniques of TIRF, confocal, FRET, photoactivation and microinjection live cell imaging. The software enables users to easily generate high quality and accurate data.

X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) is an instrumental method for solid material characterization. It provides information about the crystallographic structure and chemical composition. Our analytical instrument lab is equipped with a bench top XRD, Rigaku MiniFlex II. This instrument is a powerful tool for studies in material science, geology and biochemistry.

This portable X-Ray Fluorescence (pXRF) analyzer, ThermoFisher Scientific model XL3t GOLDD+, provides fast and accurate elemental analysis for a wide variety of materials, including metals, polymers, minerals, soils, etc. This instrument is typically used with a radiation shielded stage, but is portable making it a useful tool in the field studies.

Our organic chemistry lab is equipped with a 300 MHz NMR and a 60 MHz NMR spectrometer. The 300 MHz instrument, Bruker Ultrashield 300, is a key instrument for chemical composition and molecular structure analyses.

Our analytical instrument lab has multiple Gas Chromatograph (GC) instruments. GC instruments use analytical separation methods to characterize complex mixture of analytes. It is an essential tool for chemistry and biochemistry studies.

This Agilent 7100 Capillary Electrophoresis (CE) instrument in our chemistry lab is an analytical tool for chemical analysis using the ion separation method. This instrumentation has the advantages of ease of use, fast separation, capability of analyzing inorganic ions, organic ions, and macromolecules. The CE technique has important applications in biochemistry, environmental science, and forensic science.

The Varian 240FS Atomic Absorption (AA) spectrometer in our analytical lab is a fast sequential atomic absorption spectrometer. The instrument is used for elemental analysis of chemical solutions. It has application for inorganic chemical, environmental, food, and agriculture product studies. 

Our labs have multiple Agilent UV-Vis spectrometers. They are the essential molecular characterization tools in our chemistry and biochemistry studies. Equipped with a temperature controller, the instrument is used for dynamic measurement to analyze biomolecular samples.

Our biology lab is equipped with a microplate reader, SpectraMax M5 with SoftMax Pro GxP Software. This instrument is used to measure UV absorbance, visible absorbance, fluorescence, and luminescence on biochemical analytes. Users can collect and analyze samples with preconfigured assay parameters for a wide variety of common assays. The software meets the FDA 21 CFR Part 11 assessment compliance and validation.

This gel imaging system in our biochemistry lab is used for DNA and protein studies. It provides the capability of immediate visualization of proteins, RNA, and DNA.

Our chemistry lab has two Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectrometers. The IR spectrometry technology is essential for both organic and inorganic chemical composition analyses. Both instruments accept gas, liquid and solid samples.

Our instrumentation lab is equipped with a spectrofluorometer, HORIBA FluoroMax-4. This instrument is used in chemical and biochemical studies for analyzing organic compounds.

Our science labs are equipped with two -80° C freezers, two -20° C freezers, several cold storage devices and three cold rooms to preserve and protect biological samples for our teaching and research activities.

Our science labs are equipped with high performance centrifuges including Beckman Coulter Optima L-90K, Avanti J-26 XPI, Avanti J-26 XP and several microcentrifuges. The high-performance instruments are capable of generating centrifugal forces and temperature control required for a wide variety of applications such as routine processes of sample preparations, pelleting, extractions, purifications, concentrations, phase separations, etc.