NEWS

UW-Oshkosh makes good on research goals

Noell Dickmann

USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

A student at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh uses the current Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectrometer (NMR). The Chemistry Department announced it received a $355,000 grant to fund an upgraded NMR that will arrive on campus in 2017.

OSHKOSH - The University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh already is a step forward in fulfilling Chancellor Andrew Leavitt's goal of shifting focus to research.

The Chemistry Department in November was awarded a $355,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to fund a Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectrometer. The instrument uses a process similar to an MRI, only instead of tissue, it studies the molecular properties of atoms.

Faculty and students use it to study the behavior of atoms in different environments, like how atoms respond to different temperatures, said Brant Kedrowski, a chemistry professor and a principal investigator for the grant along with Sheri Lense and William Wacholtz.

In simplest terms, it allows for chemists to study the world of the fantastically small, he said.

The new, custom-built NMR will arrive on campus in April to replace the current, 25-year-old one. Kedrowski said it's a big upgrade and will have a magnet that's 50 percent stronger, as well as faster and more user-friendly technology.

Faculty and students will be able to study atoms on an even deeper level than they can now, he said, and the NMR can contribute to every kind of chemistry and sub-discipline within the department. Students will be able to run their own experiments and gain real-world experience, an advantage for when they graduate.

"When they have this experience and are able to use up-to-date, modern equipment, their problem-solving skills improve, their confidence improves," Kedrowski said. "It's hard to overstate how big of an impact it has."

Students also now can attain a dual degree in physics and engineering, a new agreement between UWO and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, according to an announcement from UWO.

The program requires three years of school at UWO, where students earn a bachelor of science degree in physics, followed by two years at UW-Milwaukee, where they earn a bachelor of science degree in engineering. Those who complete the program can go into leadership positions in biomedical, computer, electrical or other kinds of engineering, according to the release.

Leavitt said in March the university would become a research-enhanced comprehensive institution as part of a five-year strategic plan, Both initiatives — and others that stretch beyond the sciences, including the ArtsCore Colony with the Paine Art Center and Gardens — are all pieces that add up to achieving the strategic plan's goals.

"It’s a very exciting time for us at UW-Oshkosh because the strategic plan is coming alive," Leavitt said. "What I'm very gratified to see is the local initiatives within departments, colleges, and divisions where people on their own are interpreting the plan and making great progress."

Noell Dickmann: 920-426-6658 or ndickmann@thenorthwestern.com. Follow @ONW_Noell on Twitter.