When Dr. Greg Grant began teaching in 1981, there was only one microprocessor on campus. Lucky for him, it was in the Department of Chemistry.
Student Barry Minnick (left) and Dr. Greg Grant check out the coolest piece of equipment at UTC in 1981
Grant, Chemistry Professor Emeritus, spoke at the 25th Annual UTC Chemistry Awards Banquet. Grant was awarded the 2011 American Chemical Society Award for Research at an Undergraduate Institution.
At the banquet, Grant described to students and parents that the microprocessor, an $18,000 Hitachi UV-vis spectrophotometer used in research and laboratory courses, did not have a computer screen, a printer, or “the ability to store information. The comparable modern instrument is much more technologically advanced. It is smaller, with a computer screen, and data storage.”
Today, UTC chemistry students continue to use modern instruments in research and laboratory courses.
“The Department places great importance in students getting “hands-on” experiences with instrumentation,” Grant explained. “UTC is as well-equipped in instruments as any peer department in the South.”
Among the newest instrument acquisitions in the department is a Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectrometer that cost $300,000.
Grant also said today there are many more opportunities for students to travel to professional meetings and present their research. The first time a student was able to attend a professional meeting was in 1987. Since then, students have presented at American Chemical Society meetings in California, Virginia, and Louisiana.
The Chemistry Awards Banquet was held in the Tennessee Room of the UTC University Center. See pictures from the event here.
