MeasureNet Networks to Support Expanding Role of Mt. Sac Laboratories
February 12, 2007
Returning students will see a number of changes to the laboratory program at Mt. San Antonio College this February. Not only has Mt. Sac completed construction of a new Physical Sciences building equipped with the spacious lecture halls, new laboratories, and conveniently-placed faculty offices, but three of the program's new laboratories will sport MeasureNet Networks for a variety of data acquisition activities. The three Measurenet-equipped laboratories will support an expanding Chemical Laboratory Technician Program, bolster entry-level chemistry, and facilitate student research activities. Employment of MeasureNet's Online Data Storage System will enable students to download data to wireless laptops in lecture areas integrated with the main labs or easily access data from home or other campus facilities. Located in the city of Walnut west of Los Angeles, the California college has the third highest enrollment of any 2-year program in the state.
The Chemistry Department, under the guidance of Chair Eileen DiMauro, has entered into its third generation of electronic data acquisition with MeasureNet. Mount Sac was an early adopter of the PC-based Labworks® interface and a recent user of calculator-based labs (CBLs). "We didn't want to go back to PC-based labs," says DiMauro. "MeasureNet will give us significant ease of use, space-savings, superior data quality, and lower maintenance." Colleague Iraj Nejad believes that probeware quality will be an important feature of MeasureNet use. "Our initial kinetics runs using the MeasureNet colorimeter were just excellent" commented Nejad.
Professor Nejad, with the assistance of DiMauro and a number of faculty colleagues, is helping spearhead the development of the College as a center for undergraduate research. He and Dr. Jenny Chen were awarded a two-year US$55,000 National Science Foundation grant in 2004 to to develop a pilot program for a university research center in collaboration with UCLA, Occidental College, and Cal State Los Angeles. The grant has funded a 10-week summer research program in chemistry and biochemistry for Mt. SAC students working in the laboratories of one of the partner universities. Professors Nejad and Chen were also awarded a three-year $135,000 NSF grant that funded equipment and the implementation of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques into general and organic chemistry laboratory classes to give students hands-on experience using equipment usually reserved for research universities.
"We are pleased that MeasureNet institutions like Mt. San Antonio College are leaders in transforming the role of the 2-year college into one that can provide students choices that range from practical preparation for employment to research-oriented experiences," says MeasureNet Director of Marketing Michael Kurutz. "MeasureNet has both the category leading ease-of-use and acquisition precision that supports the variety of roles demanded of today's community college laboratory."
MeasureNet Technology Ltd. manufactures patented, network-based data acquisition interfaces for science teaching laboratories. It is a spin-off of the University of Cincinnati's Department of Chemistry and is headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. Measurenet's award-winning, PC-reducing design helps reduce laboratory maintenance and operational costs while giving students access to high quality shared UV-vis spectroscopy, gas chromatograph connectivity, and an array of innovative probeware. Its acclaimed intuitive design provides improved transparency to enable better science-focused, not technology-focused, learning. Winner of the Ohio Governor's Award For Excellence in Energy Efficiency, MeasureNet networks are found in universities, community colleges, high schools, and vocational training centers across the United States and around the world.
For more information contact:
Michael Kurutz
Director of Marketing
tel. toll-free: 866-396-6765
cell: 602-513-9311
kurutz@measurenet-tech.com
> Additional lab photos and short movie clips
> Mt. San Antonio College Chemical Laboratory Technician Program