“An important aspect of training the next generation of scientists is to give our students the opportunity to participate in research projects where new discoveries are being made, outside of a traditional teaching lab. These opportunities set our students apart whether applying for admission to graduate and professional programs or pursuing employment in research labs. While the college and department are able to provide a certain level of economic support to make this happen, additional resources to provide funds for consumable materials that makes this research possible would be a tremendous benefit to our students.”
-Dr. Jeffry Thornsberry, Chair of the Department of Natural Sciences
Much of the impressive scientific instrumentation at Northwest is now 25 years old and we sometimes struggle to replace equipment that is no longer economically repairable. Donors willing to support instrumentation repair and replacement allow us to continue our tradition of providing graduates already proficient with industry standard instrumentation, so they are truly career-ready day one. This encompasses everything from basic microscopes to atomic force microscopes, and even the scanning electron microscope.
Natural Sciences students and faculty love their field work. The 12 and 15 passenger vans, along with a full set of camping equipment (tents, sleeping bags, a field kitchen) allow geologists and biologists to take students on multi-week field trips at a very low cost. The department does its best to support these trips but cannot cover all or even most of the costs. Donor dollars (even small amounts) allow us to continue to use the world as our classroom while keeping costs low. We do our best to ensure the vans are safe and comfortable, but they have over 100,000 miles and will not last forever.
