Nov. 18, 2013 - King’s College recently received a $75,000 grant from The George I. Alden Trust of Worcester, Mass.  The funds will be used to purchase a fluorescent microscope for the biology and chemistry departments and also to acquire materials for 10 physics experiments designed to investigate the fundamental properties of matter, light and energy.

King's recently introduced a new physics degree program that affords students an opportunity to earn a traditional bachelor of science degree in physics from King's, to acquire secondary education certification in physics, or to participate in a new cooperative engineering program with the University of Notre Dame.  In the engineering program, students will spend three years at King’s College taking mathematics, physics, science, pre-engineering and liberal arts courses, and then transfer to Notre Dame for two years to complete engineering courses in their chosen field. Upon successful completion of the five-year program, students will receive both a Bachelor of Science from King’s College (in Physics, Chemistry, or Computer Science) and a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from Notre Dame (in Aerospace, Chemical, Civil, Computer, Electrical, or Mechanical Engineering).  Since some of the courses taken at Notre Dame will fulfill King’s degree requirements, students will be conferred their degree from King’s upon successful completion of the program at Notre Dame.

The bachelor’s degree program and University of Notre Dame engineering affiliation allows King’s College an opportunity to address the shortage of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) graduates from U.S. colleges and universities.

The biology and chemistry departments will use the fluorescent microscope in a variety of laboratory capacities and to further cooperative research activities involving faculty and students.  Specifically, the microscope will be used for teaching and research in immunology as well as molecular, micro and cell biology.  The microscope will also be used for activities involving cell counting and liposome research.

Funds from the grant were also used to purchase a system of probes to investigate microbial activity during growth and fermentation and also two small instruments for microbiology labs to detect light production from luminescent bacteria and fluorescence from cyanobacteria and algae.

The grant application was prepared jointly by Dr. David Glick, professor of biology, and Dr. Kristi Concannon, associate professor of physics, with assistance from Dr. Julie Belanger, assistant professor of chemistry.

The Alden Trust was established in 1912 for the general purpose of "the maintenance of some charitable or philanthropic enterprises" with particular expressed interest in "the promotion of education in schools, colleges, or other educational institutions".

King’s previously received support from the Alden Trust for projects in the College’s education department and Genomics Center.

King’s College is a Catholic College Sponsored by the Congregation of Holy Cross.