RUI: An HPLC-MS for Conducting Studies of Responses to Environmental Stresses in Marine Organisms

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This award provides support for purchase of a high performance liquid chromatography - mass spectrometer (HPLC-MS) for the Shannon Point Marine Center (SPMC) of Western Washington University. Because of the Center's location, SPMC scientists have been actively involved in research on the local marine flora and fauna and in training students in marine research. In recent years, faculty research at the Center has become more focused on the physiology and biochemistry of marine organisms. Many of these studies involve the measurement of physiological and biochemical responses of organisms to changing environmental conditions. The use of HPLC is an important tool for such research because it allows researchers to identify, separate, and measure individual metabolites as their amounts change in response to a variety of environmental conditions. The scope of the studies that can be conducted at SMPC has been limited by a lack of appropriate mass spectroscopy capabilities throughout the entire Western Washington campus. The combination of HPLC and MS allows researchers to confirm identifications of known compounds and aid structural determination of newly discovered natural products. The instrument to be purchased, which has both analytical and preparative-scale capabilities, will be located in a new common-use analytical laboratory at the Center where it can be accessed by researchers at the Center and those from the main campus in Bellingham as well. Shannon Point has a strong record in supporting graduate and undergraduate research and education programs. The instrument will be available to students at all levels, including undergraduates participating in two NSF-supported training activities: the Minorities in Marine Science Undergraduate Program (MIMSUP) and the Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Site program.