An existing Cary 14 Spectrophotometer is being upgraded to a modern instrument for student instruction and research by a complete rehabilitation of the photodetectors and electronic circuits, and the addition of a computer controlled data acquisition system. The upgraded instrument is serving as the focus for student research projects, now required in the SUNY Plattsburgh Physics curriculum. Faculty are supervising student research utilizing the upgraded instrument in two research areas, semiconductors and meteorite reflection spectroscopy. In addition, the upgraded Cary 14 is being used for student laboratory experiments in the Intermediate Laboratory and Physical Optics courses.NSF grant funds are being matched with funds from non-federal sources.
