CSU, Chico News

The Department of Chemistry in the College of Natural Sciences has received a $14,000 donation from a local business that allows the purchase of a new, full-featured Fourier-Transform InfraRed spectrophotometer that will be used by faculty and students for classroom projects and research.

Brian Pierce, CEO of Advanced Light Technologies, made the donation as part of a seven-year relationship between his company and the University. In the past, Advanced Light has funded research projects that involve students and faculty from the departments of biological sciences, chemistry and physics to explore the uses of various forms of light, including infrared light, to accomplish a variety of processes, including killing bugs, disinfecting food items and processing agricultural products.

Since 1997, Advanced Light projects have involved 12 students in the areas of chemistry, biology, physics, mechatronic engineering, microbiology and nutrition science. These students have been advised and mentored by chemistry professors Larry Kirk, Randy Miller and Jim Postma, physics professor Chuck Chau, and biology professors Larry Hanne and Sam Beattie, along with college staff and other faculty.

The spectrophotometer will allow science students and Advanced Light to explore the interactions of light with matter. Chemists will use the spectrophotometer to probe the individual bonds that make up a molecule. This allows them to distinguish molecules from one another by their unique pattern of light absorption. These “optical fingerprints” allow chemists to uniquely identify molecules, such as legal and illegal drugs, or help elucidate the structure of a newly synthesized molecule, such as a new pharmaceutical.

Advanced Light is interested in cases where the bug absorbs light energy and the plant does not, such as a red bug sitting on a green plant. (In this case, the bug is red because it reflects red light and absorbs green, whereas the leaf is green because it absorbs the red and reflects the green light.) Besides agriculture, there are potential applications in polymer sterilization, including those used in medical contexts. Advanced Light has ideas for applications in medical treatments and bio-terrorism responses.

Jim Postma, professor of chemistry, said, “This donation and ongoing projects provide needed revenue at a time when state resources are diminishing. It provides interesting projects to challenge the creativity of faculty and students, and along with such projects comes enthusiastic support from those outside the University, including Sunsweet Foods, Blue Diamond and several other companies in addition to Advanced.”

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 17th, 2004 at 8:30 am and is filed under 2004 Fall.