Renovation of Scientific Research Laboratory Facilities at Duquesne University

该奖项是根据2009年美国复苏和再投资法案（公法111-5）资助的。该项目将翻新和升级迪克讷大学理查德·金·梅隆科学大厅的特定现有研究实验室和设施。 翻修将包括：管道升级;拟议的翻修将使6名调查员的各个研究实验室以及共用设施的研究环境更加高效和安全。这些研究小组得到了美国国家科学基金会、美国国立卫生研究院和能源部的资助，正在研究一系列重要的化学和生物问题，包括：金属化腈的产生，金属离子在生物过程中的作用的研究，生物样品中脂质物质的定量测定，与环境和国土安全有关的计量学问题，发展对转化金属和类金属的细菌的生理学和生物化学的理解，以及非人类灵长类动物基因的分子进化研究。每个研究实验室包括在拟议的改造有本科研究人员作为研究小组的一部分。一个充满活力的夏季研究项目通常会在每年夏天为迪克讷带来40-45名本科研究人员，进行为期10周的密集研究。NSF资助的本科生研究经验计划是在其第六年为本科生提供夏季研究经验，将计算和实验方法整合到研究问题中。本科生通过大学资金支持，使和鼓励他们的研究在国家会议上介绍。在过去的5年里，一个活跃的项目种子夏季计划带来了19个经济困难的高中学生，其中一半以上是非洲裔美国人，到迪克讷校园丰富的夏季研究经验。 预计REU项目的学生和SEED项目的学生都将从翻新的实验室中受益匪浅。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).This project will renovate and upgrade specific existing research laboratories and facilities in the Richard King Mellon Hall of Science at Duquesne University. The renovation will include: plumbing upgrades; replacement of worn bench tops and casework; replacement of outdated and inefficient hoods; upgrade/replacement of inadequate existing HVAC; and most importantly safety upgrades.The proposed renovations will result in more efficient and safer research environments in the individual research laboratories of six investigators as well as in a shared facility. These research groups, with funding through the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, and the Department of Energy, are studying a diverse array of significant chemical and biological problems, including: the generation of metallated nitriles, a study of the role of metal ions in biological processes, the quantitative determination of lipid species in biological samples, metrology problems related to environmental and homeland security, developing an understanding of the physiology and biochemistry of bacteria that transform metal and metalloids, and the study of molecular evolution in nonhuman primate genes. Every research lab included in the proposed renovation has undergraduate researchers as part of the research group. A dynamic summer research program typically brings 40-45 undergraduate researchers to Duquesne for a 10-week intensive research experience each summer. An NSF-funded Research Experiences for Undergraduates program is in its 6th year of providing undergraduate students with a summer research experience integrating computational and experimental approaches to research problems. Undergraduates are supported through University funding to enable and encourage presentation of their research at national meetings. For the past 5 years, an active Project SEED summer program has brought 19 economically disadvantaged high school students, more than half of them African American, to the Duquesne campus for enriching summer research experiences. It is anticipated that both the students in REU program and students in SEED program will greatly benefit from the renovated laboratories.