THOUSAND OAKS : Cal Lutheran Group Gets Science Grant

California Lutheran University’s educational foundation has received a grant of $31,543 from the National Science Foundation to purchase science equipment and improve laboratory facilities.

The grant must be matched by the university, which is located in Thousand Oaks, said Kristine Butcher, assistant professor of chemistry and author of the grant proposal.

Funds will be used to improve the laboratory facilities for undergraduate students and help fund the purchase of a nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer, which enables chemists to analyze molecules. It unites the fields of organic, physical and analytical chemistry, Butcher said.

“It is important that our students learn to apply their classroom knowledge to new and challenging problems through the integration of several disciplines,” Butcher said. “This ability is increasingly important today as scientists in both industry and academics are turning to a team approach in solving problems.”