A  Virtual Instrumental Analysis Laboratory (VIAL) for Buffalo State and Open SUNY

Heo, Jinseok; Nazarenko, Alexander; Kim, Jaime; Goodman, M. Scott

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Project outcomes report (115.7Kb)

Mid project report (39.96Kb)

CIT 2014 presentation (7.452Mb)

Date

2013

Abstract

The availability of modern analytical instruments has resulted in a change of methodology in analytical chemistry and related sciences—these have almost completely replaced traditional “wet” analysis methods.Furthermore, advances in engineering and computer technology are continuing to improve the capabilities of analytical instruments and the speed of acquiring and processing data. Industry, government labs, and academia have been steadily adopting the new generation of fast and reliable instruments. Accordingly, this necessitates that educators equip students with new skill sets and knowledge to meet the demands of their potential employers.

Description

This project will develop a Virtual Instrumental Analysis Laboratory (VIAL) for Buffalo State and SUNY campuses. Thanks to a newly built science building, the Department of Chemistry at Buffalo State is now equipped with major up-to-dated analytical instruments for use in advanced chemical analysis, forensic investigation, and materials characterization. We will examine how we might help students and others learn to successfully collect and analyze data obtainable on our analytical instruments. The VIAL platform will initially be used to provide online-based experiences for those who need training before they actually use an advanced instrument. We will assess the effectiveness of the VIAL for students’ gaining knowledge and skills in using the analytical instruments. Furthermore, we will also try to demonstrate that the analytical instruments can be remotely controlled, so that off-campus users can directly benefit from our advanced facilities.