Abilene Christian University’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry recently received a $75,000 grant from the Welch Foundation, which has funded the program for over 60 years.

Dr. Autumn Sutherlin, department chair and professor of chemistry and biochemistry, said this is a new grant program through the Welch Foundation that will further support their equipment needs. ACU was among the first group invited to apply to receive equipment grants.

In the fall, the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry was awarded a grant totaling $150,000 over the next three years. That funding is being used to support research performed by students and faculty, as well as paying stipends for faculty, students, supplies, and travel. The Summer Research Institute or SRI, an eight-week summer program where students work full-time alongside faculty members on research projects, is an example of the projects supported by that grant. After completing the SRI, students present their work at conferences within and outside ACU, with the potential for the work to be published in peer-reviewed journals.

The Welch Foundation supports chemistry research in Texas, and members of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry have received grants from the foundation every year since 1961.

Sutherlin said the department plans to use this recent one-time award of $75,000 to pay for a new NMR, nuclear magnetic resonance, which helps to analyze the structure of molecules.

“This shows the confidence that the Welch Foundation has in our department,” Sutherlin said. “We do a good job in training students in undergraduate research, and they want to enable us to train students on the latest equipment.”

Learn more about the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry.

— Connor Mullins

May 9, 2023