Completion Phase Booklet 2016

COMPLETION PHASE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY CENTER

“As scientists and Christians, we’re not just trying to convince students to see God’s glory in the ‘mundane’ details of the physical creation—from the chemical reactions in our cells to the nuclear reactions in stellar cores —we’re trying to show them that there is no such thing as mundane.”

Channon Visscher, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Chemistry & Planetary Sciences

BIOLOGY LAB This lab is designed for group work where first-year students can design and

carry out their own experiments using modern biotech tools. They’ll analyze the DNA of cultured microbes using thermocyclers, electrophoresis chambers, and spectrophotometers.

CADAVER LAB Dissecting a human is much different from dissecting a pig. This lab will help

students think about ethical issues related to working with the human body in a Christian context before they get to medical school.

AGRONOMY AND ANIMAL SCIENCE LABS Expanding these labs will give growing

numbers of agriculture majors more flexibility to work in teams and on research. Students will tissue culture plants; analyze soil, water, and plant samples for physical and biological properties; estimate crop yields; and propagate plants. In the animal sciences lab, they will examine dairy, beef, swine, and poultry industry practices by analyzing rations, dissecting reproductive systems, and identifying pathogens.

ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES LAB In this lab, students will take a holistic approach to understanding the creation in order to care for it. They’ll analyze the environmental chemistry of soil, water, and air, as well as the biological composition of the environment. They’ll investigate ecosystem structure, nutrient cycling, energy flow, and population interrelationships in natural ecosystems and human-shaped environments.

MOLECULAR/BIOCHEMISTRY LAB This lab is equipped to allow students to explore the

growing fields of molecular biology and biochemistry. From DNA extraction to protein purification, students will benefit from hands-on experience while developing biotech skills.

CELL CULTURE ROOM Students will culture human cancer cells and other mammalian tissue types in a sterile environment as they do research on cancer, inflammation, and more.

BIOLOGY PROJECTS LAB Seniors will conduct semester-long research projects, doing research into CUX-1 genes, cancer cells, and pathogens.

LOWER LEVEL

UPPER LEVEL

GENERAL CHEMISTRY LAB This area will serve growing numbers of chemistry, biology, nursing, and engineering majors, allowing professors to use technology-supported inquiry labs, where student groups pose a problem, design and carry out an experiment, and test it. Students will have better access to instruments, such as the GC-MS (gas chromatograph mass spectrometer), that play an increasingly important role in chemistry education and undergraduate research.

ORGANIC CHEMISTRY LAB The larger lab will allow students to explore a wider variety of chemical reactions. Fume hoods at every two-person work station, rather than at one central location, will allow students to conduct experiments more safely and efficiently and give them more time to learn and to explore during their labs.

CHEMISTRY INSTRUMENTATION ROOM Centrally located, this space gives students from all chemistry labs ready access to the latest analytical equipment.

MICROBIOLOGY LAB Students in health-related programs will learn how to culture and analyze bacteria and other microbes. Their work will range from assessing antibiotic resistance to conducting flora studies of complex soil systems.

PHYSICS LAB A larger general physics lab will accommodate the growing use of computerinterfaced experiments and video analysis to digitize data, create graphs, and give mathematical descriptions of problems. It will provide space for students to learn the art of designing, implementing, and understanding their own experiments. Advanced physics students can work on individual projects in the adjoining smaller lab.

CLASSROOMS Even though the new labs will be designed so that professors can give presentations and conduct labs in the same space, additional classrooms are needed for both the sciences and other majors.

“In my first weeks in pharmacy school, I learned that Dordt prepared me extremely well. None of my fellow students did the in-depth research projects we did. I would like to thank the chemistry and biology departments for offering such good programs. ” Dylan Van Dyk (’14), pharmacy student at the University of Alberta

RECENT FACULTY GRANTS $55,685 NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION AWARD TO DR. CHANNON VISSCHER

Project titled “Collaborative Research: Characterizing Cloudy Exoplanet Atmospheres.” Working to improve our understanding of the chemistry and weather in planets outside our solar system

HUMAN GENOME RESEARCH INSTITUTE OF $392,000 NATIONAL THE NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH AWARD TO DR. NATHAN TINTLE

Working with students to research how to efficiently sort and organize vast amounts of genetic information scientists are generating

$60,000 IOWA OFFICE OF ENERGY INDEPENDENCE AWARD TO THE ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT

Funding for equipment to support bio-renewable and sustainable energy research

CENTRAL REGION SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE $63,481 NORTH RESEARCH AND EDUCATION GRANT TO DR. DUANE BAJEMA

Developing a program of beekeeper education and support in the tristate region

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