Adjunct organic chemistry instructor, David Alonso (holding a printout in the left picture), arranged to have a mobile science lab come to IU South Bend for three days this week to help with our organic chemistry and analytical chemistry laboratory classes. For the past 12 years, Alonso has worked at LECO Corporation. LECO Corportation develops analytical instruments with a focus on elemental analysis and separation instruments. They have been in business, with headquarters in St. Joseph, Michigan, since 1936 although originally they were named Laboratory Equipment Corporation. LECO Corporation has four different mobile labs that tour the country. Alonso and his colleagues, Scott and Bruce, brought the Separation Science Mobile Lab so that students in CHEM-C 343 (organic chemistry) and CHEM-C 310 (analytical chemistry) could use the state-of-the-art Pegasus GC-TOFMS instruments to analyze samples they prepared in class. GC (gas chromatography) separates the components of a gas mixture which are then identified by TOFMS (time-of-flight mass spectroscopy), essentially relying on how long it is takes heavy versus light gas particles to flow. It was a wonderful experience for the students in all the classes to see the step up in instrumentation from our teaching labs - and for Alonso's students to see their professor in his main employment. While many of our adjunct instructors are retired, just as many are working full time jobs in their main career. Thank you, David, for making this happen.
