CSUN Receives Grant for Science Equipment

Thanks to a $250,000 grant from a private, Los Angeles-based foundation, Cal State Northridge will purchase state-of-the-art materials for two science laboratories, the university has announced.

Awarded by the W.M. Keck Foundation, the money will be used to upgrade the theoretical physics laboratory and the experimental condensed matter physics laboratory, both under the direction of CSUN’s physics and astronomy department.

In the experimental laboratory, the department will purchase a device that will allow researchers to study the structure and behavior of biological membranes.

“We will be the only facility in the world that will be capable of studying micelles [submicroscopic units] using both time-resolved fluorescence and electron spin resonance techniques,” said Robert Romagnoli, department chairman.

The department will also purchase three high-end computer work stations for its theoretical laboratory, machines that will be used for modeling, simulations and computations. Established in 1954, the W.M. Keck Foundation provides support for university research in the fields of science, engineering and medicine.