Interdisciplinary Applications of Flourescence Spectroscopy

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This project will enhance undergraduate laboratory experiences for students at the University of New England by incorporating fluorescence spectroscopy into several courses and research experiences offered for Chemistry, Biology, Marine Biology and Environmental Science students within the Division of Life Sciences. The analytical applications of fluorescence are growing dramatically because of its sensitivity and applicability to problems of environmental and clinical importance and will be exploited in Quantitative Analysis, Instrumental Methods, Biochemistry/Cell Biology and Marine Biology/Oceanography laboratories. Examples of analyses to be performed include the determination of pharmaceutical components, pollutants in natural waters, chlorophyll in plant materials and fluorescent markers for monitoring phytoplankton and water mass migration. The technique's increasing use in Biochemistry and Cell Biology will be illustrated in, among other applications, probing intracellular ion transport mechanisms. More fundamental applications will be introduced in General Chemistry and explored in detail in Instrumental Methods and Physical Chemistry. Fluorescence immunoassay will become a component of the Immunology lab. Fluorescence will also be used extensively for undergraduate research. The multidisciplinary use of the proposed instrument will foster increased cooperative interactions between Chemistry and Biology faculty and impress upon students the increasingly interdisciplinary nature of modern science. The instruments will also be used by University of Southern Maine students in Instrumental Methods and Physical Chemistry courses.