The Concordian

Liz Harmon, a student at Concord, was tasked with conducting quality checks on GC-MS device. The device compares a sample to one of two available libraries that come with the system. Harman is a chemistry major from Bluefi eld; her anticipated graduation date is May, and she plans to pursue a Ph.D. in chemistry at the University of Kentucky. [Click to enlarge]

The biology and physical science departments at Concord received two instrumentation grants from the West Virginia EPSCoR program to purchase new equipment. Six of these grants were awarded to undergraduate colleges and universities state-wide.

The grant award to the physical science department totaled $20,000 and was written by Drs. Dana Alloway and Darrell Crick. The money from the grant aided in the acquisition of a new gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC-MS) instrument to replace an older model that dates back to the 1970s.

The instrument, installed in February, is designed to break down unknown samples into individual chemical components and compare the sample to the system’s built-in library so one can determine what is in the mixture. This instrument will be used mainly for research and a variety of chemistry classes, including those taken by pre-medical students. “This is the newest and latest piece of equipment,” Dr. Darrell Crick, physical science department chair, said.   “Students will learn how to handle modern instruments. When students get a job in this field; they will use this exact instrument.”

“We are happy to have this,” he said. “This is a major addition and is one of the major acquisitions we needed to make.”

The biology department, meanwhile, received a grant totaling approximately $18,500 to purchase an Electro Fisher for their aquatic biology class. This instrument, used by the DNR (Department of Natural Resources) to determine fish populations, introduces electricity into the water to stun fish so that researchers can estimate how many are in a stream.

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