St. Bonaventure University has been awarded a $125,000 grant from the George L. Alden Trust to purchase a liquid chromatography-mass spectrometer (LC-MS).

“The LC-MS represents a central element of a comprehensive project to upgrade our science equipment,” said Dr. David Hilmey, dean of the School of Arts & Sciences. “Its acquisition will bring us to almost the end of our initial campaign goal.”

In 2016, chemistry faculty and members of SBU’s Advancement team met with the Shimadzu Corporation, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of scientific equipment, to explore the development of a partnership aimed at funding a science instrumentation suite.

Shimadzu offered St. Bonaventure significant savings on the retail cost of a variety of top-of-the-line chemistry equipment through in-kind donations. The purchase of each piece of equipment included training and a five-year service agreement.

The LC-MS acquisition, which Hilmey hopes to have on campus by mid-semester, is the sixth instrument purchased through the Shimadzu partnership.

“This state-of-the-art equipment will help us significantly enhance the growth, in quantity and quality, of science education — both teaching and research — as well as strengthen our broad and deep community partnerships in Western New York’s Southern Tier,” Hilmey said.

The equipment is invaluable for students and faculty, Hilmey said.

“This suite of analytical and research tools will better allow our students to become research collaborators from the very first day on campus — collaborators who can mature into competent, independent researchers before they head off to graduate school, secondary classrooms or industry,” he said.

Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry is an analytical chemistry technique that combines the physical separation capabilities of liquid chromatography (or HPLC) with the mass analysis capabilities of mass spectrometry.

The Alden Trust supports independent undergraduate education in institutions with student enrollments between 1,000 and 5,000. This support is directed to institutions in the six New England states and in New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.

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