Improvement of Undergraduate Laboratory Instruction in Biology, Chemistry and Physics through the purchase of a Liquid Scintillation Counter

通过购买液体闪烁计数器(LSC)，瓦尔多斯塔州立学院的生物系在其免疫学和细胞生物学课程中增加了放射性同位素实验，并在较小程度上增加了化学和物理实验室工作。细胞生物学实验室已经完成了第一阶段的开发，学生们已经在不同的生长条件下培养了哺乳动物细胞。收购LSC完成了开发计划的第二阶段。学生们现在能够在分子水平上进行实验。这将使他们能够通过旨在更好地理解奠定现代分子生物学基础的原理的技术来工作。通过该项目对物理系和化学系的支持也有助于其实验室的现代化，使这三个系都能够向本科生安全地介绍氚和碳14的实验室用途。瓦尔多斯塔州立大学在将毕业生送往深造方面享有令人羡慕的声誉，通过该项目获得的好处应该会加强该州许多理科专业学生的准备工作。

Through the purchase of a liquid scintillation counter (LSC), the Biology Department at Valdosta State College is adding radioisotope experiments to its curriculum in Immunology and Cellular Biology and, to a lesser extent, to laboratory work in Chemistry and Physics. The Cellular Biology laboratory has completed the first phase of its development, and students have grown mammalian cells under varying growth conditions. Acquisition of the LSC completes the second phase of the development plan. Students now are able to carry out experiments at the molecular level. This will enable them to work through techniques which are aimed at gaining a better understanding of principles that lie at the foundation of modern molecular biology. Support for the Physics and Chemistry Departments through this project also contributes to the modernization of their laboratories, enabling all three departments to provide their undergraduates with a safe introduction to laboratory uses of tritium and carbon-14. Valdosta State enjoys an enviable reputation for sending graduates on to advanced studies, and the benefits gained through this project should enhance the preparation received by many of its science majors.