BVU Receives Grant for School of Science
Buena Vista University's School of Science has received a grant of $174,054 from the Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust to purchase five pieces of laboratory instrumentation equipment for the enhancement and development of classroom and research.
Buena Vista University's School of Science has received a grant of $174,054 from the Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust to purchase five pieces of laboratory instrumentation equipment for the enhancement and development of classroom and research curricula in environmental and biological sciences.
The newly-purchased equipment will be accessed by undergraduate students studying environmental science, as well as ecology, biology, physics, physiology, biochemistry, neuroscience, embryology and molecular biology. The equipment being purchased includes a LI-COR LI-6400XTR Portable Photosynthesis and Fluorescence System as well as a LI-COR Soil CO2 Flux Chamber Carbon Monitoring System; a Metrohm Ion Chromatography System, autosamples and software; a UV-VIS Spectrophotometer; the Lightcyler 96 Real-Time PCR System from Roche and the Leica VT1000 S vibrating microtome.
"Over the past decade, the Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust has provided generous support to BVU and its School of Science," said Dr. Melinda Coogan, associate professor of biology. "This support has helped BVU provide students with exceptional classroom and experiential learning opportunities, which give our students the multidisciplinary knowledge and skills to succeed in their professions, careers and service to their communities."
With the addition of the requested equipment, BVU will be able to add a research requirement to the environmental science major, therefore, better preparing its graduates for careers in STEM fields (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and graduate school. The equipment being purchased is relatable to the same equipment used in laboratories across the United States, such as the NASA Astrophysics Data System, sustainable energy labs, water treatment facilities, soil and agricultural research labs, molecular research labs and forensics labs.
The great majority Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust grants are awarded to organizations located in, and for projects to be conducted within, the state of Iowa and portions of Illinois, as well as to other organizations in which Mr. Carver had an interest during his lifetime. Generally speaking, the Carver Trust supports biomedical and scientific research, scholarships and programs addressing the educational and recreational needs of youth.