Renovation of Coe College's Peterson Hall of Science

Coe College, Cedar Rapids IA

Investigators

Abstract

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). This project involves the renovation of Peterson Hall at Coe College, a small, private, undergraduate university in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Built in 1968, this building houses all of the science laboratories at the College. Problems with the existing structure include: cracking and separation of a wall on the third floor; erosion of window plaster and casings; windows that no longer open; frequent plumbing leaks; electrical capacity that is too low for modern research equipment and environmental systems; compressed air, steam and gas systems that do not work in many rooms; failure of air handlers to achieve climate control; lack of airflow isolation in rooms where trace-level analysis is performed; a hot water system, original to the building, that has exceeded its useful life; and stockrooms that lack proper storage and ventilation conditions. The renovation is essentially a gut renovation of the interior of Peterson Hall. It will include: replacement of ceilings, flooring, lighting, some ductwork, windows, interior wall covering, door frames and some interior walls; refurbishment of electrical, plumbing, heating, cooling, air-handling, hood ventilation and temperature control systems; reconfiguration of lab benches & spaces; and network wiring. NSF is contributing part of the overall cost of renovating the building to cover the portion of the renovation that is associated with research and research training. The following are examples of areas in which research is conducted in Peterson Hall and which would be strengthened by the renovation: the physics of oxide glasses and their structure-property relationships, including the study of superstructural groups in borate glasses, the structure of complex three and four component borosilicate glasses for radioactive waste incorporation, and the structure of a variety of new alkali and alkaline-earth vanadate glasses; the optical properties of heavy metal oxide glasses and laser induced recrystallization of lead, barium and other heavy metal vanadate glasses; research in musical acoustics; plant and animal ecology; microbial ecology of species that have the ability to use ferric iron and sulfur compounds as electron acceptors for growth in the absence of oxygen; the molecular alterations in murine microglia that occur following stimulation with pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines in conjunction with the application of gonadal steroids; patterns of gene expression in the salamander, Ambystoma mexicanum; the study of sea-worm biocements; the fate of agricultural chemicals in the natural environment; the electronic structure of glassy materials and the corrosion of glass surfaces; and the synthesis, structure, and reactivity of hypercoordinate group 14 compounds. The award will help this liberal arts college to maintain a vibrant program of undergraduate research that provides an example of the way in which undergraduates can be given meaningful research experiences. In addition to providing infrastructure for research and research training, the renovation will provide a resource that will be used for summer research programs involving high school students, high school teachers, undergraduates and visiting faculty. It will support collaboration with faculty researchers in Japan, Canada, Italy, and England, and their students. It will facilitate public outreach events in science and mathematics aimed at elementary, middle, and high school students and the general public. It will provide much better resources for undergraduates form outside Coe who come to Coe for its Research Experiences for Undergraduates program.