Pioneer Hi-Bred grant benefits Wartburg biology students

Oct. 27, 2009

Pioneer Hi-Bred, a DuPont business, has awarded Wartburg College a $5,000 grant to help fund the Carver Microscopy Center in the Science Center.

The grant from Johnston, Iowa-based Pioneer, the world’s leading developer and supplier of advanced plant genetics, concludes fundraising for the $240,000 project.

“Wartburg students have long benefited from our partnership with Pioneer, and we’re grateful for this latest gift that completes the funding for our Carver Microscopy Center,” said Scott Leisinger, Wartburg’s vice president for institutional advancement. “This project will enable our nationally recognized science program to continue to provide outstanding teaching and research opportunities for our students.”

A Nikon inverted microscope and confocal accessory system is the centerpiece for the microscopy center, said biology professor Keith McClung. It allows users to produce publishable quality phase and fluorescent images for documenting research results, construct 3-D images of results, and quantify visual data.

“None of this was possible before we had the confocal microscope,” said McClung.

He added, “The addition of the microscope improves our ability to conduct undergraduate student research. The instruments have been incorporated into the curriculum, and students learn how to use them in various courses.”

Funding also helped pay for the installation of a research fluorescence stereomicroscope; renovations to the existing microscopy suite; and an offline workstation for processing large data sets generated by the confocal microscope.

The Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust made the lead gift of $157,854 for the Science Center addition in September 2007, and alumni and friends gave other gifts.

Nearly 500 students use the Carver Microscopy Center for course work and research each year. Because of Wartburg’s ongoing commitment to providing state-of-the-art technologies, students and faculty often receive unique opportunities.

Wartburg alumna Ellen Engelbrecht Bell, ’08, who is studying veterinary medicine at Iowa State University, believes she was selected to participate in its Summer Scholars program, working as a full-time researcher, in part due to her undergraduate research experiences.

“I had a wonderful experience doing undergraduate research at Wartburg. At the time the experience was quite challenging, but it helped me develop many skills that have been valuable in my academic and research careers,” said Bell.

Dedicated in September of 2004, the 111,000 square-foot Science Center doubled previous facilities devoted to biology, biochemistry, chemistry, engineering science, mathematics, computer science and physics. After completing the Science Center renovation, Wartburg pledged to continue making enhancements within the facility.

Biology is the largest major at Wartburg and has experienced marked growth since the dedication of the Science Center. Since 2002, the number of biology majors has increased by more than 60 percent.