The Wesleyan sciences have received a $500,000 challenge grant for research equipment from the Kresge Foundation, a $3 billion national foundation for non-profits based in Troy, Mich. The grant was awarded to be shared by all of the science departments and will be spent on a number of instruments, including a Gel Permeation Chromatograph, a YAG/Dye Laser, and a $203,000 ICO-mass Spectrometer.

“Kresge’s Science Initiative Program is of particular benefit to a place like Wesleyan, a smaller institution with a strong tendency to foster collaborations among faculty from different disciplines,” said Professor of Chemistry and Vice President for Academic Affairs Joe Bruno.

The money will not be received until Wesleyan raises an initial $500,000, at which point Kresge will match these funds with the first half of its grant. The combined money will finance the equipment purchases. After the school raises an additional million dollars, Kresge will provide the remaining $250,000. These funds will be placed in an endowment specially created for equipment repairs.

This last spring, Bruno, Director of Foundation and Corporate Relations Carol Scully, and Director of Major Gifts Christine Pina wrote a proposal to the foundation, which encourages liberal arts colleges with strong undergraduate science programs to apply. By June, the foundation had approved the grant.

The multi-billion dollar foundation sees the challenge grant as a catalyst for general development in the sciences, according to its website. Providing funds for new equipment is intended to spur interest on the part of donors, students, and faculty in science programs and research opportunities. And with Wesleyan’s new 80,000 square-foot Molecular and Life Sciences facility due to be completed in 2009, Bruno recognizes the opportunity for growth in the University’s sciences.

“We would like to attract more science majors to Wesleyan, something we have been working on for several years now,” he said. “We certainly hope that the grant will help raise awareness in the larger community.”

The equipment will fulfill a number of purposes, mostly for high-level research.

“The LC-Mass Spectrometer combines a liquid chromatograph with a mass spectrometer,” said Professor of Biochemistry Rex Pratt. “The former allows you to separate a mixture of molecules in liquid solution into its components. The pure components are then injected into the mass spectrometer where their molecular weights and other structural information can be obtained.”

The Astronomy Department plans to replace antiquated equipment with the grant.

“The Telescope Control System operates our 24-inch telescope—the one in the little dome next to the parking lot,” said Professor of Astronomy William Herbst. “This is actually our biggest telescope and the one that is used for research by faculty and students. It is actually a robot, since the observers work in the main observatory building, controlling the telescope remotely with the aid of this system.”

The grant, however significant, is likely only to be a temporary measure to keep up with the pace of scientific development.

“In all honesty, the need for science equipment is never fully met,” Bruno said. “Instrumentation improves regularly and researchers often move into new areas requiring new experimental and instrumental approaches.”