UC Blue Ash biology lab receives special gift that supports research projects

There is a lot of valuable new equipment in the biology lab at the University of Cincinnati Blue Ash College thanks to an anonymous donation.

“Two major types of equipment we received are centrifuges and qPCR (quantitative polymerase chain reaction) systems,” says Yoshi Odaka, PhD, assistant professor of biology at UC Blue Ash. “The centrifuges will be used to process samples of tissues, cells, and biomolecules for lab courses and research by students. The qPCR machine is designed to detect and quantify DNA; it’s a powerful tool in molecular biology.”

The equipment and supplies will be used to support student research projects. They include four centrifuges, three real-time PCR machines, hundreds of gloves and pipettes, and two full sets of pipettors. All of the items are either new or gently used and valued at approximately $178,000.

The biology lab at UC Blue Ash already has some centrifuges, but the new models have different features and are better suited for handling live cells when conducting research. Professor Odaka says that along with expanding opportunities for student research, the donation will also provide access to the same equipment students might eventually see in their careers.

“Centrifugation and PCR are widely used in basic and medical sciences and industries. So learning the concepts behind and how to operate these devices will be relevant to careers in biology, forensic science, food science, pharmacology, anthropology, environmental science, clinical laboratory, and many more,“ says Odaka.

Students at UC Blue Ash are able to participate in a variety of biology research projects through their courses, as part of the college’s honors program, or as participants in UC’s UPRISE (Undergraduates Pursuing Research in Science and Engineering) program.

Featured Image: Anushkaa Parwade, a biology major and participant in UC’s UPRISE program, works with Yoshi Odaka, PhD, on a research project using one of the centrifuges donated to the UC Blue Ash biology lab.