Facilities

Chemistry

Based in Valders Hall of Science, Luther chemistry students utilize modern research-grade instruments, including:

A coupled gas chromatograph/mass spectrometer
An atomic absorption spectrometer
A nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer
Various ultraviolet, visible, and infrared spectrometers
High-performance liquid chromatographs
A spectrofluorimeter
Laser-based instruments.

Beginning in the introductory Chemical Principles course, students use computers equipped with special laboratory interfaces to program and collect data for subsequent spreadsheet and graphical analysis. Networked computer labs throughout campus provide facilities for further analysis and writing.

In recognition of the strength of Luther's natural science programs, Valders Hall of Science will soon undergo a $20 million expansion to provide additional teaching laboratories and classrooms, as well as laboratories for ongoing student research.

Computer Science and Mathematics

Most computer science and mathematics classes are held in the 43,000-square-foot Franklin W. Olin Building, which contains 33 faculty offices, four networked computer labs, 10 computer classrooms, a 137-seat auditorium/lecture hall, a large seminar room, a student study center, and conference/interview rooms. Access to the labs is free for students and available 16 or more hours per day.

Physics

The physics department's laboratory facilities are located in Valders Hall of Science, suitably equipped with 25,000-square-feet of laboratory space, a planetarium, a greenhouse, and an impressive array of instruments for instruction and research. Physics students are able to use a wide range of equipment and technology. Major equipment and laboratories include:

Magnion 9.5-inch electromagnet, IBM work station, high-speed Biomation
A/D converter, and minus 80° Celsius freezer in a nuclear magnetic resonance research laboratory
Worden gravity meter, Keck earth resistivity apparatus, and Geometrics proton precession magnetometer for geophysics research
Eppley and Licor pyranometers in a solar research laboratory
Lasers, including tunable dye-pulse laser, holography equipment, and Magnion 7-inch magnet in the optics laboratory
IBM RISC 6000 work station, three Pentium computers, high-vacuum systems, 2048-channel Canberra multi-channel analyzer with GE high-resolution gamma detector, HP 6-digit multimeter, three Keithly 485 digital picoammeters, three Keithly 175 digital multimeters, three programmable power supplies, Cavendish G apparatus, and Teltron X-ray diffraction instrument in the advanced laboratory
HP digital logic analyzer, SR FFT spectrum analyzer, 10 Tektronix TA250 oscilloscopes, four TDS210 1 TDS3032 and one TDS320 digital Teletronix oscilloscopes, HP 801213 pulse generator, and SRS digital LCR meter in the electronics laboratory
Five Cenco e/m, five Sargent/Welch Millikan apparatus, and five Spencer spectroscopes in the modern physics laboratory
10 Pentium, 10 multipurpose lab interfaces, 10 data precision 2480 DVMs, 10 5740 digital frequency counters, and 10 Ealing measuring microscopes in the general physics laboratory

Astronomy and astrophysics students have access to the Emil Miller Planetarium in Valders Hall. Telescope piers are located on a roof-top observation platform and a remote observing facility for student research is located off campus.

Astronomy equipment includes:

One 16-inch, two 12-inch, and two 10-inch Meade computerized telescopes
Digital camera equipment
A medium resolution spectrograph

The physics department also makes use of outdoor laboratories. Opportunities for geophysical studies are abundant. Groundwater studies, cave studies, and gravity and magnetic studies can be conducted on Luther's 800-acre campus and in the surrounding areas.