Jonesboro, AR – (Contributed) – Arkansas State University received a National Science Foundation (NSF) Major Research Instrumentation award to support research by utilizing a highly advanced research instrument — an UltraHigh Performance Liquid Chromatograph-Tandem Quadrupole (UHPLC-TQ) with a Desorption Electrospray Ionization (DESI) system.

Dr. Jennifer Bouldin, dean of the Beck College of Sciences and Mathematics, said her team was thrilled when notified, as the award enables the purchase of the $719,800 instrument to advance research initiatives on campus.

“We’d been trying for several years to be awarded this grant, as the instrument is the linchpin for several research projects for many faculty, staff and students. In particular, A-State currently lacks anything like the DESI, and having that will provide a plethora of educational and research opportunities to many at A-State,” said Bouldin.

The research team, credited with securing the award, features principal investigator Bouldin, and co-principal investigators (Co-PIs): Orithea Regn, Dr. Sarah Webb, Dr. Fabricio Medina-Bolivar and Dr. Hashim Ali. 

“Not only can we now conduct our proposed research, but we can also share the knowledge and experience we gain from working with this instrument with everyone,” added Bouldin. 

The NSF research grant will cover the instrument and associated costs, which includes a dedicated PC for the instrument and supporting things such as a training session, a nitrogen generator, which is the gas that operates the tool, a dedicated power supply, and a three-year-warranty.

The instrument will be located in the A-State Ecotoxicology Research Facility, where it will support research on a variety of topics. Over the grant period, researchers from A-State and neighboring institutions will conduct projects addressing human health, chemical exposures in plants and animals, and area freshwater quality.

“A-State is expanding its research profile every year, and the backbone of a research institution is the facilities and instrumentation that allow the research to happen,” said Dr. Travis Marsico, vice provost for research, innovation and discovery.

This tool’s advanced detection capabilities are expected to have significant impacts across various research areas.

“It is capable of detecting very low concentrations of various things such as contaminants, harmful toxins and biological compounds, including cancer,” said Bouldin. “The instrument also has the ability to map out where these targets can be found within a sample, essentially creating a heat map so that we can understand where these targets go or are located within a plant or animal.”

Bouldin emphasized that the instrument positions A-State as a leader in research innovation.

“We hope that the research from this award allows many faculty, staff and students the opportunity to gain experience working with an advanced instrument and to pursue research that otherwise would not be possible. We hope to bolster A-State’s reputation through educational outreach and workshops available to regional, national and international participants. Additionally, we look forward to partnering with regional industries to fulfill their analytical needs,” the dean of the college said.

Community outreach is another key component of the award. The research team plans to collaborate with local K-12 schools to provide engaging science experiences. Additionally, partnerships with A-State undergraduate education majors and summer research opportunities for local students are anticipated.

“The instrument will allow for multiple points of entry into instrumentation and will also provide participants with a greater appreciation for our natural world and the science that makes it all work. We want our outreach to encourage curiosity in science, making something that might seem scary or too difficult to understand into something that students want to know more about,” she continued.

“It is critical that we have campus leaders, including Dean Bouldin, who understand the value of and are actively engaged in scholarship.  Acquisition of advanced research instrumentation that can be used by a variety of researchers is a huge win for A-State, and I am grateful to Dean Bouldin and her team for their efforts,” Marsico added.

A certificate program will be established to train participants in the use of the tool. The Ecotoxicology Research Facility will make this technology available to campus partners, regional industries, and collaborators at the national and international levels. “We will have a website for the instrument up soon as well as data sets and photos of the instrument’s results, so that others can also benefit from the knowledge we obtain,” added Bouldin.