Public Affairs Office

Back to Earlham Home Page Back to News Releases

NSF Grants Earlham $439,419 for Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectrometer For Immediate Release: September 19, 2002 RICHMOND, Indiana — Research projects of three Earlham scientists have prompted the National Science Foundation to award the College $439,419 for the purchase of a high-field Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectrometer. The JEOL ECA NMR to be purchased with the NSF grant. Graphic used with permission from JEOL. The instrument, one of the most powerful tools available to chemists and biologists, allows scientists to "see" how individual atoms in molecules are arranged. By using a high-field superconducting magnet, it can identify unknown substances, characterize specific arrangements of atoms within molecules, and display the dynamics of interactions between molecules in solution. The addition of a 400 MHz NMR spectrometer to Earlham's scientific assets will further enhance the College's extensive equipment holdings and provide state-of-the-art research and educational experiences for faculty and students. Mark Stocksdale, Ph.D. and Mike Deibel, Ph.D., assistant professors of chemistry, and Nathan Trueblood, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology, wrote the successful funding proposal to the National Science Foundation. The three scientists had asked the NSF to fund the purchase of the NMR spectrometer to use in their ongoing research efforts. •  Stocksdale will use the instrument to investigate novel "green" agricultural chemicals. They will synthesize and study phytosiderophores, natural compounds that facilitate the uptake of iron in the roots of grasses. A second project will study novel organic synthesis strategies for preparing azacycles, common chemical substructures found in many compounds that possess important biological activity. •  Trueblood and his students will use the NMR spectrometer to study diabetes. Specifically, their research will investigate the uptake and use of glucose and the metabolism of high-energy compounds, such as ATP, in the cardiovascular system. •  Deibel will use the instrument to examine the consequences of oxidative damage on the structure and function of the iron-binding protein transferrin. Oxidative damage, caused by free radical oxygen species, has been implicated in Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, cancer and aging. The Departments of Chemistry and Biology will use the high-field NMR spectrometer to support research, teaching and research training programs. "Collaborative research is a long-honored distinction of an Earlham education," said President Doug Bennett. "This new piece of equipment will have immediate and substantial benefits, enabling faculty and students to engage in scientific inquiry together." The new Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectrometer is expected to arrive and be in operation in Earlham's science complex by January. *ΚΚΚΚ *ΚΚΚΚ * Contact: Mark Stocksdale, assistant professor of chemistry 765-983-1319 back to top

Copyright ©2002 Earlham College. Maintained by David Knight, Web Content Editor