Renovation of Chemistry Research Facilities at Saint Louis University

Saint Louis University, Saint Louis MO

Investigators

Abstract

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). This award supports renovation of laboratory space in Monsanto Hall on the campus of Saint Louis University. Under the present conditions, the laboratories have large temperature fluctuations, poor humidity control, excessive dust and leakage of air and water from windows, and condensation dripping from pipes in the ceiling. Funding from this award will enable the Department to complete renovation of aging labs, improve the environmental quality of the space and accuracy of experimental results, and increase the amount of available research space by renovating old, laboratories currently used for research. The research areas that will be directly affected include biochemistry, the synthesis and application of nanomaterials, the synthesis and characterization of metallacarborane complexes, the effects of self-organization (such as oscillations and pattern formation) on the reactive properties of complex electrochemical systems, studies of rotational diffusion, non-covalent interactions of aromatic compounds, the use of microchip-based analytical systems to study various biological systems, molecular biology, bioelectrocatalysis, and the thermodynamics and structural features of RNA motifs. In addition to graduate and undergraduate students, the Chemistry Department involves high school students from across the St. Louis area in research. The location of the University within the urban core of St. Louis enables natural participation from groups that are traditionally underrepresented in science and technology. The laboratory improvements will allow training of more undergraduate, graduate, and high school students.