This project will establish a thermal analysis laboratory at Wellesley College. Such a laboratory is rarely available at the undergraduate level, and we hope to set up an exemplary one which will help to reinforce the usefulness of thermodynamics to a variety of chemical and biochemical problems. The laboratory, consisting of two microcalorimeters, (an isothermal titration calorimeter (ITC) and a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC)) will be used extensively in upper division undergraduate courses including physical chemistry, biochemistry and inorganic chemistry. In addition, the calorimeters will be used in our active student/faculty research efforts on thermodynamics properties of biological reactions, and structure of proteins, nanoparticles and crystals. Because Wellesley College is a women's college, this project will serve to enhance the education of women scientists and encourage them to pursue further scientific studies.
