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October 1, 2003

Boise State Receives $338,000 NSF Grant To Acquire New Instrument

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For the first time, researchers in Idaho and Washington will have nearby access to an advanced Electronic Magnetic Resonance (EMR) spectrometer as a result of a $338,000 National Science Foundation grant awarded to Boise State University to acquire the new equipment. "The EMR, the only one in Idaho, will be housed in a new lab in the Science-Nursing building on the Boise State campus," said Alex Punnoose, a Boise State physics professor and the grant�s principal investigator. "The equipment will be particularly useful to scientists working to develop new semiconductor materials or conducting biomedical research, including studies involving cancer and Alzheimer�s disease," Punnoose said. �This new EMR will allow us to expand our collaborations with other research institutions by expanding our research capabilities here at Boise State,� Punnoose said. The EMR will be used by scientists and students at Boise State and by research collaborators at the Veterans Affairs Regional Medical Center, the Mountain States Tumor Institute, Micron Technology, the University of Idaho, Idaho State, Washington State, the University of Utah and several institutions in other regions of the country, including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Auburn University. The powerful new tool detects unpaired electrons and provides data that can be analyzed to understand the electronic state of the atom or species containing the unpaired electron, the nature of its bonding and its interactions with its immediate surroundings. According to Punnoose, this technique is useful in studying the detailed internal structure of various types of materials and the electronic interactions within them. Such potential materials include proteins, enzymes, magnetic materials and devices, catalysts, semiconductor oxides, nanoparticles and others. The EMR will also be used by graduate students in Boise State�s new interdisciplinary program in material sciences, and by researchers working in the university�s new Molecular Interactions Laboratory. In addition to Punnoose, Boise State faculty who were involved in acquiring the grant include Susan Shadle and Henry Charlier, chemistry; Julia Oxford, biology; Bill Knowlton, electrical engineering; and Amy Moll, mechanical engineering. Contact Alex Punnoose Physics 208 426-6628 Media contact Janelle Brown communications and marketing 208 426-1790

Last reviewed on Thursday, July 21, 2005