Enhanced Research and Experiential Learning for Undergraduates Using X-ray Diffraction - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT: Salish Kootenai College (SKC), on the Flathead Indian Reservation in Montana, is a well- established and vital Tribal College and University (TCU) that primarily serves undergraduates from indigenous and rural communities. The Department of Life Sciences at SKC was the first TCU to offer a Bachelor’s in Cell Biology and is currently the only tribal college to offer a Bachelor’s in Environmental Health Sciences. These degree tracks are complemented by a molecular- and chemistry-intensive research program centered in the One Health philosophy. The research program infrastructure was initially built around environmental assessment of heavy metals; however, much of the specialized equipment is becoming antiquated and not well suited to the interests of the program’s biomedically-focused students. Therefore, the vision of the program is to revitalize its infrastructure through the acquisition of a key piece of equipment: a Bruker D6 Phaser X-Ray Diffractometer (XRD) along with accessory stages to characterize small, air-sensitive samples and samples undergoing phase transitions with temperature variation. This powerful benchtop XRD requires relatively minimal maintenance over a long lifespan and is user friendly for undergraduates; thus, providing a platform for diverse experiential learning and research opportunities to study the atomistic structure of compounds which is currently not possible at SKC. The more detailed structural analysis provided by XRD will synergize with existing equipment that still functions to provide basic functional group information of compounds in a number of academic courses and educational activities. Similarly, the new avenues of research discovery and/or collaboration will significantly help the program achieve its immediate and long-term goals; while, simultaneously developing undergraduates with a deeper understanding of structure for promising careers in advanced biomedical fields such as pharmaceutical science, nanomaterials, and forensic-based structural analysis.
