9313452 Scully This ARI award will provide funding for the renovation of research space in the Alfriend Chemistry Building which houses the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry on the campus of Old Dominion University. The number of graduate and undergraduate students involved in research activities in the department has grown tremendously since the construction of the building in 1967. The department has experienced an increase in extramural support, making it the second department to receive the most research funds in the College of Sciences. Research conducted in the facility encompasses five major areas of chemistry: analytical chemistry, biochemistry, environmental chemistry, organic chemistry, and materials chemistry. In addition to awarding the B.S. and M.S. degrees in chemistry, the department shares a new Ph.D. program in the Biomedical Sciences with the Biology Department and the Eastern Virginia Medical School. Increases in research faculty, funding, size and maturity of the graduate program have reached a level where the department is proposing to implement a Ph.D. program in Applied Chemistry. In addition to refurbishing laboratory space, renovations will include: upgrading the electrical power system, modernizing the fire alarm system to state fire codes, providing a centralized, deionized water system for the entire building, replacing the original motors and ductwork for fume hoods, and replacing the air handling system that is essential to protect sensitive cell lines from contamination during biochemical experiments. Completion of the renovations will improve the research and research training enterprise, at Old Dominion University, by improving the research environment, providing research opportunities for high school students, and students enrolled at predominately minority institutions, and in the retraining of military personnel at the graduate and undergraduate levels. ***
