Bloomfield College Biology Lab purchases the Glomax Detection System

With a generous gift from an anonymous donor, the biology lab purchased the Glomax Detection System, a luminometer that detects the presence of light to determine metabolic activity in cells. "This will be a great tool for teaching students about cell activity and is necessary for research," says Tammy Castro, PhD, associate professor of biology. "For example, in the cancer research our students are conducting, this will determine the effectiveness of different drugs on cancer cells. Our students will have one more skill to add to their academic resumes."

The test experiment looked at surfaces around College Hall that would contain contaminants. Surfaces such as countertops, drinking fountain handles, door knobs, and inside a toilet were swabbed and tested for the presence of harmful substances. The test concluded that the countertops and the drinking fountain handles contained the most contaminants, while the inside of the toilet had the least. "This equipment will allow us to perform more advanced research on the campus," says Castro. "I will not have to run our samples over to another university to test them. We are very excited to start using this!"

Thank you to the anonymous donor who provided the funding!