Student Technology Fee – AY 2020Tech Initiatives Proposal Form

DUE April 1, 2020 (Students)DUE April 2, 2020 (Employees)

Project Title: Spectrophotometer AcquisitionExplain what you are requesting (3 lines max): We are requesting funds to purchase four new high quality educational-grade UV-Vis spectrophotometers.

Principal Contact/ApplicantName: Dr. Ruth SofieldEmail: harperr3@wwu.eduPhone: x2181Dept/Org: Department of Environmental SciencesEnter “student”, “faculty”, or “staff”: faculty

Other Contact/ApplicantName: Scott WilkinsonEmail: wilkinf@wwu.eduPhone: x3667Dept/Org: Huxley College of the EnvironmentEnter “student”, “faculty”, or “staff”: staff

Proposed Budget for Project1. Equipment total $26,760.562. Plus site preparation (not STF funded) + $     3. Total Project Cost (budget total from part III of this form, “Project Budget”) = $26,760.564. Less organization’s contribution – $7,290.14*5. Less site preparation – $     6. STF Grant Request = $19,470.42

* This includes $600 to contribute towards 3 new spectrophotmeters and $6,690.14 that was used to purchase a new spectrophotometer by the Environmental Sciences Department. The intent in purchasing one with department funds was that we would pursue other funding sources for the additional spectrophotometers. One new spectrophotometer is not enough for classroom use, so more are needed.

IMPORTANT NOTES

1. Student Technology Fee Mission:The Student Technology Fee (STF) provides Western students with adequate and innovative technology experiences by: Broadening/enhancing the quality of the academic experience, Providing additional student access to technology, and Increasing integration of technology into the curriculum.

2. THE STF Committee will accept only complete proposals by the announced deadline. Every section (I–VIII) and all items of this proposal form must be addressed.

3. Disallowed items: The following items generally would not qualify for STF Tech Initiatives funding:

Computer lab upgrades(Existing computer labs are upgraded on a rolling schedule with a separate allocation of STF funds.)

Software related to maintenance and/or serial payments

Maintenance contracts on equipment or software

Expendable supplies

Equipment that will not be used directly by students, and/or non-computer equipment or furnishings that are part of the typical classroom environment (such as lighting, portable and fixed media equipment, furniture, chairs, etc.).

I. Relationship to STF Objectives / Impact on the Student Academic Experience

The STF Committee will use as its primary assessment criteria the three objectives—quality, access, and integration—defined in the STF mission (“Note 1” above). Given this criteria, describe your proposed project in detail.

1. Tell us—focusing on what the students would gain from the project—how the project would provide positive benefits to the student academic experience. Specifically, answer at least one of a, b and c below:

a. How would this project broaden or enhance the quality of the student’s academic experience through the proposed technology?

A standard method by which students integrate and apply what they have learned in the classroom is through hands-on experience in the laboratory. In the Environmental Sciences, spectroscopy has been identified as the most important tool for investigating the earth's atmosphere (Cuisset et al., 2016) and has seen widespread use in monitoring chemical and physical pollutants in water (e.g. Aziz et al., 2017). UV-Vis spectroscopy is a widespread, versatile and fundamentally important learning tool with many applications, including the quantitative study of chemical analytes and nanomaterials, and determination of biochemical reaction kinetics. All three of Huxley College's teaching labs house rudimentary spectrophotometers that are approaching the end of their projected lifespans. In fact, only one spectrophotometer is less than 10 years old (purchased within the last year by the Environmental Science department in recognition of the need to update our equipment) and most are 30 (or more) years old, increasingly fragile, with failing parts, and outdated designs. A few have broken down over time and are unable to be repaired due to their vintage and lack of available replacement parts. In addition to the poor condition of these spectrophotometers, they are not the same quality that students should be working with. In 30 years, the ways that data is presented and recorded, and the ways students interact and operate the spectrophotometers has changed substantially. Since spectrophotometry is a standard and essential laboratory tool, it is critically important that students have access to well-built, durable and modern equipment, lest they continue to struggle through experiments using outdated and increasingly inaccurate spectrophotometers or not have any access to them because faculty choose not to include these experiments in their classes. Thus, if funded, this project would modernize the equipment on hand and enhance the academic experience of every student that works in Huxley College's three wet labs, as well as all students who are performing research independently.

2

Cuisset et al., 2016. Applications of Spectroscopy in Environmental Monitoring of Gases and Aerosols. Journal of Spectroscopy. https://www.hindawi.com/journals/jspec/2016/2575782/

Azizi et al., 2017. Investigation of Metallic Silver Nanoparticles through UV-Vis and Optical Micrograph Techniques. Internation Journal of Electrochemical Sciences. 12 (2017) 363 – 373, doi: 10.20964/2017.01.22

b. How would this project provide additional student access to technological resources?

With this proposal we seek to draw students into a more efficient, realistic, modern, and fruitful lab experience. Currently, students must hand record results from the spectrophotometer, can not automate time series data collection (they must stand in front of the spectrophotometer and manually operate the instrument each time they want a measurement if they want to measure changes in a sample over time, making kinetic measurements a challenge), and can only measure one sample at a time (which limits the scope of experiments and the number of students who can conduct a lab at a time since access to the equipment becomes a bottleneck in the classroom). This project will provide additional student access to technological resources in at least three ways: 1) by increasing the number of modern spectrophotometers available for student use both during assigned classroom activities and as part of independent investigations outside of the classroom, 2) by providing spectrophotometers that have the latest technological advances in construction, working parts, and design, and 3) by providing students the opportunity (access) to learn how to operate and use a technologically advanced piece of laboratory equipment that is standard equipment in laboratories across campus and around the world.

c. How would this project increase integration of technology into coursework?

Dr. Ruth Sofield has been working with UV-Vis spectroscopy in the Environmental Toxciology lab classes and with research students since 2003. In the classroom, the number of experiments with UV-Vis are intentionally limited because the instruments we have take too long to record data meaning students have to work on the UV-Vis aspects of the lab on different days (to stagger use). This lab should (and would) be updated to include more instrumental use, but this simply is not feasable with available technologies. The principle of "build it and they will come" also applies here. We hired two faculty in 2018 who contribute new expertise to Huxley College. Dr. Manuel Montaño has lab experiments in mind (e.g. measuring natural organic matter) for his new upper level instrumental analysis class, currently being designed. Also, Dr. Alia Khan is envisioning using them for chlorophyll studies in both her Biogeochemistry and Cryosphere courses, both of which have lab and field components. With existing equipment, these will not be developed as experiments in their lab classes. For more senior faculty, it is difficult to imagine the potential of an instrument until it is made widely available, at which time people will step in and recognize fresh opportunities; as a result, creativity and productivity may increase substantially. In this case the technology (UV-Vis spectrophotometry) is well known, but that technology is not well provided within Huxley College. In fact, the equipment we do have are of the most rudimentary design, do not interface with any modern devices (e.g., printers, computer software to perform analysis) and thus are of limited value to the modern investigator. We reason that once new spectrophotometers are put in place and made more accessible, they will be used more often and more deeply, by more classes and more students than previously. Ultimately these new tools will undoubtedly help provide inspiration for projects that have not yet been elucidated or even contemplated.

3

2. Would other departments be involved with this project? Enter “No” or “Yes.”

No

IF “Yes,” describe.

     

3. Has any part of this project previously been funded by the Student Technology Fee? Enter “No” or “Yes.”

No

IF “Yes,” describe.

     

4. Is the proposed project a pilot project? Enter “No” or “Yes.”

No

IF “Yes,” describe.

     

II. Utilization

List the anticipated number of times and duration per each use—per quarter or per academic year—that students would use the proposed technology, along with the impact of that proposed technology on students. Note: applications are funded after careful consideration of both the number of students that will be impacted by the technology and the quality of that impact.

A standard method by which students integrate and apply what they have learned in the classroom is through hands-on experience in the lab. If funded, this project would broaden the academic experience of every student that works in Huxley College's three wet labs, as well as students who are performing research independently. Potential usage is summarized below, according to enrollment capacity in the existing teaching labs and classes that have been using the existing spectrophotometers and will make use of the new equipment. Full enrollment is assumed.ESCI 361, 96 students (32 in Fall Quarter, 32 in Winter Quarter, 32 in Spring Quarter), ~8 hours/weekESCI 429, 24 students, Spring, ~8 hours/weekESCI 430, 28 students, Fall, ~8 hrs./weekESCI 431, 10 students, Fall, ~4 hours/weekESCI 454, 10 students, Spring, ~15 hrs./weekESCI 457, 24 students, Fall, ~20 hrs./weekESCI 497I, 16 students, Winter, ~4 hrs./weekTOTAL for ESCI courses: ~200 students, ~800 student hours

III. Project Budget

This section details the estimated total cost of the project. Include costs that would be covered—by your department or another source—for ongoing costs such as personnel or operating expenses.

1. For assistance in preparing your budget, please consult with relevant campus support departments:

4

Academic Technology & User Services, x6538 Budget Office, x4762 Space Administration, x3222 Purchasing, x3340

How to Buy SoftwareHow to Buy ComputersLab/Special Supplies, etc.

2. Complete the Budget Estimate Table below. If you have more than seven line-item expenses, attach a separate Excel spreadsheet instead.

Items to Purchase Quantity Item Cost Item Total1. Genesys 140/150 Vis/UV-Vis spectrophotometer 3 $5975.42 $17926.26

2.             $      $     

3.             $      $     

4.             $      $     

5.             $      $     

6.             $      $     

7.             $      $     

Subtotal N/A N/A $17926.26

Allowance for price increases (3% of subtotal) N/A N/A $537.79

Shipping (taxable) N/A N/A $     

Tax (8.7%) N/A N/A $1606.37Total This total (or your attached spreadsheet total) should match the projected budget figure on page 1 of this proposal. (See box on page 1, #3.)

N/A N/A $20070.42

Important Budget Notes from the STF Committee:

We recognize your proposed budget as an estimate. Final funding for successful projects will be established after thorough technical review; some costs may need adjusting due to price changes.

We may impose special conditions on a proposal before approval. See STF Proposal Guidelines, section V, Proposal Modifications.

Funding is not provided directly to departments for purchases. All purchasing is done via the Office of the VPIT/CIO and savings are retained in the Student Technology Fee fund.

3. What funding or contributions are available from your department or other sources?

$500 from the Dept. of Environmental Sciences and $100 from the Institude of Environmental Toxicology. The fourth spectrophotometer was purchased within the last year by the Environmental Science department with the stated intent being that we would try to secure funding for more to make these useful in the classroom.

Note: The STF Committee encourages matching funds/funding support.“Contribution“ is defined as a monetary contribution. For example, a vendor discount is not considered a contribution.

4. Could this project be divided into discrete elements that could be funded separately? Enter “No” or “Yes.”

5

Yes

IF “Yes,” summarize and prioritize project elements with cost estimate for each.

We are requesting funds for three spectrophotometers, but would accept funds to purchase two, or even one of the instruments as we continue to build our modern equipment available for students in lab classes.

Note: A “no” response to question 4 creates an “all or nothing” proposal. That is, if the STF Committee decides against funding your entire proposal, it will not consider any elements for partial funding. If elements could be funded separately, the applicant is responsible for prioritizing them before submitting the proposal.

5. Are course or lab fees charged for any of the courses that will use this equipment? Enter “No” or “Yes.”

Yes

IF “Yes,” describe.

Course fees are charged for all courses that would utilize the spectrophotometers. Those fees range from $81/student (ESCI 430 (Limnology) to $205 (Toxicology)).

Note: The total funding requested from the Student Technology Fee must reflect the amount collected from course fees for equipment replacement and/or equipment acquisition.

IV. Impact on Existing Resources

Your proposal must address the project’s potential impact on existing resources. Give special attention to the impact on data transmission networks (e.g., sources accessed, networking equipment, etc.), and personnel (e.g., staffing, administrative support, faculty support, etc.).

1. Describe how existing equipment is used. Contrast this to projected use if your project were funded.

Existing equipment has limited use. As described above, it is not feasable to have 12 students (divided into pairs for a total of six groups) work with our spectrophometers in a single class period and so students are split into two groups and do these experiments on different days. These logistics make it challenging to come up with experiments that can be safely split with students doing different things. The fact that we have to manually measure time series data means that an experiment on lipid peroxidation (a common test in toxicology) was dropped from the curriculum about six years ago. There is no reason to consider new experiments with existing equipment and so there is limited use of existing equipment. If this were funded, as described above, several new experiments would be developed and the technology embedded throughout several classes using this equipment.

2. Is similar equipment or technology available elsewhere on campus—such as the Student Technology Center, Classroom Services, Video Services, Western Libraries, a college lab? Enter “No” or “Yes.”

Yes

IF “Yes,” describe why existing equipment does not meet the needs outlined in this proposal.

Spectrophotometers are standard equipment for chemistry, biology, environmental science and other wet laboratories, but they are also quite fragile so their transport should be minimized (i.e. transporting them between buildings is unrealistic and

6

undesirable). Also, there are many varieties of the instrument and not all types are compatible throughout all disciplines.

3. If this project involves the replacement of equipment, including computers:

a. Describe the “before and after” configuration changes. (A spreadsheet reflecting these changes may be attached.) Or, write “N/A.”

N/A

b. Describe the costs and benefits of replacing vs. upgrading. Or, write “N/A.”

N/A

4. Would this equipment be available to students outside of your department? Enter “No” or “Yes.”

No

IF “Yes,” describe the following:a. How students would gain accessb. How equipment availability would be publicizedc. The hours/week when equipment would be availabled. Any costs that would result from a-c

     

5. Does this project involve the check-out of equipment to students? Enter “No” or “Yes.”

No

IF “Yes,” discuss whether the Student Technology Center/ATUS Loan Pool could be assigned this task.

     

6. Does the department have adequate operating funds to provide ongoing maintenance and support? Enter “No” or “Yes.”

Yes

IF “Yes,” describe.

Course fees would fund and support maintenance of the instruments. Also, technicians from Scientific Technical Services are available to service this type of instrument at no charge.

7. Does the department have adequate personnel funds to provide ongoing staff support for the project? Enter “No” or “Yes.”

Yes

IF “Yes,” describe.

Maintaining this equipment is within the job description of Huxley College's Lab and Classroom Support Technician.

V. Space and Site Information

7

This section addresses any space alteration or site preparation necessary for the proposed project. Site alterations include painting, holes in walls, security systems, carpeting, construction, lighting changes, or conversion of a lab or office.

1. Location for installation of equipment or technology:

ES 405, ES 331, ES 322.

2. Would site modification be required? Enter “No” or “Yes.”

No

IF “Yes,” describe the modifications (e.g., electrical, air, painting, lighting, security, network access, etc.).

     

3. Would this project use space not currently assigned to your department or area? Enter “No” or “Yes.”

No

IF “Yes,” describe.

     

Conditional If this project would require any site preparation, or if this project would use any space notStep 4: currently under your department’s control:

a. You must submit a draft proposal to Space Administration by March 9, 2020.

b. Space Administration and Facilities Management will then conduct a site survey and respond to you by March 20, 2020 about project feasibility, cost and schedule.

c. You must include the site survey response with your final proposal.

VI. Project Schedule

Describe your overall implementation schedule.Note that project awards are announced during spring quarter, and that projects are to be substantially completed by the end of the calendar year.If any site preparation is involved (see section V above), align your project schedule with the schedule provided by Space Administration and Facilities Management.

We would like to begin using the instruments in the fall of 2020 or as soon as possible given Covid-19 related limitations.

VII. Constraints

List or describe any external or internal factors/constraints that could affect your project schedule, project objectives, or the project budget (e.g., if external approval is required for curricular changes, or if funding must be received by a certain date).

     

VIII. Submitting the Proposal

1. Ensure your proposal does not exceed 14 pages (not including Tech Initiatives Summary Sheet).

8

2. Complete top portion of 2020 Tech Initiatives Proposal Summary Sheet.

3. Electronically submit the proposal and the summary sheet per appropriate substep below.

a. For student proposals: Email proposal and summary sheet by April 1 to AS Senate Pro Tempore at AS.Senateprotempore@wwu.edu. Both the proposal and summary sheet should be Word format.

b. For employee proposals: Email proposal and summary sheet by internal due date, per your unit’s process [which must be before proposal due date (to STF Committee) of April 2]. Both the proposal and summary sheet should be Word format.

Note: Step 4 is for the positions gathering and/or prioritizing the submitted proposals.

4. Process the proposals per the appropriate position substeps below (a, b, or c).

a. AS Senate Pro Tempore (for student proposals):

i. Prioritize the student proposals. Indicate priority on summary sheets, and sign the sheets.

ii. Email proposals (Word format) and summary sheets (PDF format) to batemad@wwu.edu (the STF Committee secretary) no later than April 2.

b. Dept Chair / equivalent (for employee proposals):

i. Sign summary sheet(s) on “department chair” line.

ii. Email proposals (Word format) and signed summary sheets (PDF format) to college dean/unit head to meet internal deadline.

c. College Dean / unit head (for employee proposals):

i. Prioritize the employee proposals. Indicate priority on summary sheets, and sign the sheets.

ii. Email proposals (Word format) and completed summary sheets (PDF format) to batemad@wwu.edu (the STF Committee secretary) no later than April 2.

Note: Please do not send paper copies of proposals to the STF Committee.

9