All about that lab: New equipment and updated spaces a boon to Science and Nursing students

Labconco Purifier Logic + Class 2 bio-safety hoods. VWR Symphony air-jacketed CO2 incubators. BMT Laboratory Sterilizer Sterivap SP666-1 autoclave. Abbott Laboratories IIC-6 laminar flow hood. Movex TERFU snorkel exhaust ventilation system.

All that verbiage may not mean much to the average person, but to science and nursing students, the technology behind the words means a whole lot.

The new equipment is just part of a recently completed project to update science laboratories in four Jacksonville University buildings: Swisher, Nelms, Reid Medical and Merritt Penticoff. The improvements are included among projects in the University’s unprecedented $120 million ASPIRE comprehensive campaign.

Together with a new chiller plant for the four science buildings and Swisher Library that should be online by the end of the year, the upgrades mean students studying anatomy, biology, chemistry, physics and other science-related subjects have up-do-date facilities and equipment to conduct their experiments and observations.

In particular, the University’s fast-growing Nursing program in the College of Health Sciences will benefit greatly from the enhancements, said Dr. Lee Ann Clements, chair of the Division of Science and Mathematics in the College of Arts and Sciences.

“As our Nursing and other Health Sciences programs grow, these rooms are being used every day,” she said. “There’s no question we are moving in the right direction and hope the progress will continue.”

In a recent Anatomy and Physiology class in Reid 207 taught by instructor Breanna Korsman, pre-Health Sciences students hunched over cat specimens as they conducted dissections with new snorkel ventilators hovering overhead looking like something out of a science-fiction film.

“This new exhaust system is a big improvement here and makes it safer as students deal with specimens preserved in chemicals that aren’t good to breathe over the long term,” Clements said.

To learn more about the College of Arts and Sciences, visit http://www.ju.edu/coas. To learn more about the College of Health Sciences, visit http://www.ju.edu/chs.

OVERVIEW OF SCIENCE BUILDING ENHANCEMENTS:

Swisher Science: S-22 Organic Chemistry Lab, S-23 General Chemistry Lab — New island benches and new fume hoods with dedicated exhaust fans, new flooring and paint.

Nelms Science: N-7 Multiple Organismal Teaching Lab, N-7A Prep Room — Lab has new student tables, professor teaching island, casework and cabinets. Prep Room has new island work bench, storage shelves, work desks, fume hood and flammable storage cabinet. Both spaces received new flooring and paint.

Reid Medical Science: R-107 Cell Biology/Immunology/Animal Physiology Lab, R-109 New Common Equipment Room, R-207 Anatomy Lab —

• R-107: Existing student tables modified to accommodate new Labconco Purifier Logic + Class 2 bio-safety hoods,newVWR Symphony air-jacketed CO2 incubators, and new refrigerator/freezer.
• R-109: New Common Equipment Room to accommodate new BMT Laboratory Sterilizer Sterivap SP666-1 autoclave, new Labconco Steam Scrubber glassware dishwasher, new ice machine,new Kewaunee Supreme Air fume hood, various freezers and refrigerator, new island work bench, new work desk, new wall storage cabinets, relocated Abbott Laboratories IIC-6 laminar flow hood, relocated Beckman J2-HS centrifuge, new flooring and paint.
• R-207: New ceiling-mounted Movex TERFU snorkel with square hood exhaust ventilation system for Anatomy dissection.

Merritt Penticoff Science: MP-116A Computer Lab, MP-125 Physics Classroom, MP-226 Physics Lab —

• MP-116A: Classroom expansion to accommodate additional computer stations with new VIRCO Plateau computer tables, new flooring and paint.
• MP-125: New floor electrical receptacles for the new Kewaunee student tables, casework and cabinets, new flooring and paint.
• MP-226: New Kewaunee student tables and additional electrical and data outlets, new flooring and paint.