ISU Scores National Science Grant

Faculty from outside Indiana State University will also be able to use the device for research projects.

Indiana State University has landed funding for new equipment the school says will boost undergraduate research opportunities. The university says a $236,000 grant from the National Science Foundation has allowed it to purchase a spectrometer for use in biology and chemistry research.

Chemistry professor Richard Fitch says he has applied multiple times over 10 years for funding through the NSF’s Major Research Instrumentation program. He says the spectrometer allows students and faculty to study cells by comparing the protein makeup of normal and abnormal cells.Fitch also plans to use the equipment to advance research on his personal interest – poison frogs.

In a release from ISU, Fitch said, "Science is expensive but it merits the cost when you provide new research and quality training for students. This is the kind of instrument that you don’t usually find outside of a large research institution. It is a real feather in our cap to have a high resolution mass spectrometer like this on campus."

The school says faculty from outside Indiana State University will also be able to use the device for research projects.