YSU opens only lab of its kind in Ohio

By Kalea Hall | October 29, 2014 at 12:01a.m.

New X-ray Diffraction Laboratory at YSU

When Jennifer Miller went to another university for an internship, she realized how fortunate she was to study chemistry at Youngstown State University. The junior chemistry major from McDonald was allowed to use the tools and equipment in the chemistry department as a freshman — unlike some universities that only allow graduate students and above to use the tools. “If I don’t get this experience and have these opportunities, how can I know what my opportunities are?” she said. “I am grateful to YSU for not only investing in these opportunities, but for investing in my future.” On Tuesday, Miller was the center of the ribbon-cutting ceremony inside a new X-ray Diffraction Laboratory in the College of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math with YSU President Jim Tressel next to her and U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Howland, D-13th.

YOUNGSTOWN

When Jennifer Miller went to another university for an internship, she realized how fortunate she was to study chemistry at Youngstown State University.

The junior chemistry major from McDonald was allowed to use the tools and equipment in the chemistry department as a freshman — unlike some universities that allow only graduate students and above to use the tools.

“If I don’t get this experience and have these opportunities, how can I know what my opportunities are?” she said. “I am grateful to YSU for not only investing in these opportunities, but for investing in my future.”

On Tuesday, Miller was the center of the ribbon-cutting ceremony inside a new X-ray diffraction laboratory in the College of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math with YSU President Jim Tressel and U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Howland, D-13th, next to her.

“We know how to grow the economy and the investments we need to make,” Ryan said. “It is great to know that this will be done right here at YSU.”

The ribbon-cutting celebrated the purchase and installation of two new diffractometers, which shine X-rays through samples of materials and allow researchers to see the atomic makeup of the material. The $475,000 equipment, funded by a competitive grant from the National Science Foundation’s Major Research Instrumentation Program, makes YSU’s material-analysis capabilities among the best in the nation and second to none in Ohio.

“We want to stay at the cutting edge,” said Allen Hunter, professor of chemistry and principal investigator for the grant. “The crystals are about 100 to 1,000 times smaller than what we can use in the older one.”

A decade-old diffractometer has been updated through the years, but the new ones allow for a sample smaller than a grain of salt to be viewed.

“You want to find out what it looks like and what is its structure,” Hunter said. “Why NSF gave us the money is because we proved we were doing useful stuff. We demonstrated that we could solve these things that were actually helping other people and our current equipment had reached its limits.”

Samples are taken at YSU from all over the northeastern U.S. and more than a dozen countries to determine the structure of the material.

“It is very rewarding if you can help people who do not have access to that kind of equipment,” said Matt Zeller, a YSU research staff scientist with a doctorate in chemistry.

Since she was able to study with access to the equipment at YSU, Miller has decided to change her career path. She originally wanted to be a pharmacist, but is now going to pursue a career in academia and get her doctorate in chemistry.

“YSU is like, ‘Not only do we want to give you a chance, we want you to try [the equipment],’” Miller said. “The nicer the equipment, the better the resolution and the easier it makes our job.”