This award is supported by the Major Research Instrumentation and the Chemistry Research Instrumentation programs. Professor Tianning Diao from New York University and colleague Nathaniel Traaseth have acquired a continuous wave electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectrometer. This instrument allows research in a variety of fields such as those that provide insight on how biologically relevant species with unpaired electrons behave. In general, an EPR spectrometer yields detailed information on the geometric and electronic structure of molecular and solid-state materials. It is also used to obtain information about the lifetimes of free radicals, short-lived, highly reactive species involved in valuable chemical transformations as well as the initiation of possible pathological growth. These studies impact many areas, from the synthesis of inorganic and organic molecules to the development of new solid-state materials to compounds of magnetic and biological interest. Employing examples inspired from ongoing research, this instrument is an integral part of research and teaching at the undergraduate and graduate levels at New York University. In addition to gaining competency in a methodology that is central to organic, inorganic, biophysical, and materials research, the EPR spectrometer is used in coursework and is also used by students participating in a Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Program and by visiting summer research undergraduate and high-school students. Workshops in EPR techniques are organized in the context of the REU programs. Most of the high school and undergraduate student participants are from minority-serving institutions and four-year colleges. The EPR spectrometer is open to the broader user community, including students, faculty, and industrial scientists in the tri-state area, the nation's largest school district and one of the most ethnically and culturally diverse. This expands the user base to students from four-year colleges that are often unfamiliar with advanced instrumentation and graduate school opportunities in science and engineering. These activities will contribute to the improvement of science education in New York City and surrounding areas.
The award of this spectrometer is aimed at enhancing research and education at all levels. It especially aids studies of mechanisms of nickel-catalyzed reactions, the determination of the molecular mechanism of membrane transport proteins, (as well as studies of electron transfer to design molecular probes. The instrumentation is also used for developing copper-based reconfigurable catalysts and for exploring growth induced crystal curvature. The instrument also serves researchers preparing polynuclear hydride-radical cations, doping impurities in semiconductor nanocrystals, and those studying the mechanism of cobalt and manganese-catalyzed reductive reactions at CUNY John-Jay. The spectrometer benefits the determination of conformational changes in disordered proteins and the determination of the effect of lactose monohydrate crystallization on the active site of phosphotriesterase.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
