This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).
Funding provided by the Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) Program will significantly enhance The College at Brockport's (State University of New York) infrastructure and research capacity. Drs. Jacques Rinchard and Joseph Makarewicz of the Department of Environmental Science and Biology will acquire a gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer (GC/MS) and a high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) system. Both instruments will be used by faculty and students to address fundamental questions and develop an understanding of trophic food web ecology and fish nutrition as well as research on persistent organic pollutants in Great Lakes food webs. For example, the instruments will allow state of the art analysis of fatty acids and vitamins and help us understand their transfer in freshwater aquatic food webs.
In addition, both instruments will substantially strengthen the capacities of our curriculum and teach students advanced analytical techniques as part of several classes at both graduate and undergraduate levels. This proposal will improve the quality and effectiveness of our research training activities and this play an important role in developing New York State's and the nation's pool of scientists and technically trained people for the future.
