Introduction

Research occurs at many levels here at USAFA/DFC. The research center is headed by Dr John Wilkes. Dr Wilkes facilitate the funding, instrumentation, and course oversight for the faculty and staff research, as well as the chem 499 class which is a research opportunity for cadets while under officer mentorship.

Cadets are not limited to the confines of the dept when comes to doing hands-on chemistry. The Cadet Summer Research Program (CSRP) is robust with opportunity and participation.

Faculty research and collaboration is far reaching. The department is funded by the government to do some research but battles for additional funds with the rest of the academic institutions.

The Mission

The opportunity to participate in basic and applied research by faculty, staff, and cadets is important to the overall mission of the Air Force Academy. The Chemistry Research Center provides for professional development of faculty members and enhanced education of cadets through research programs in chemistry and related disciplines. The research is to be of high quality and relevant to Air Force technology needs.

The Place

The Chemistry Research Center is an integral part of the Air Force Academy Department of Chemistry in Fairchild Hall. Research facilities occupy 9,600 square feet of laboratories in the Fairchild Annex constructed in 1996. The facilities presently include three laboratories suitable for organic and inorganic synthesis, chemical and physical characterization, and instrumental analysis. The research center shares with Chemistry Department an impressive array of high tech analytical instrumentation.

The People

Every person at the Chemistry Research Center has multiple affiliations. Just as the facilities are integrated with the Department of Chemistry, most of the people working in the Center are also Department of Chemistry faculty, staff or students, and CRADA research associates.

Research Instrumentation

The chemistry department has a broad range of state-of-the-art instrumentation available to support the faculty and cadet research and teaching efforts which include:

Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectrometers Raman Spectrometer Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) Spectrometer Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Spectrometers Ultraviolet/Visible (UV/Vis) Spectrometers Fluorescence Spectrometers Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) Spectrometer Atomic Absorption (AA) Spectrometers CHNS Elemental Analyzer High Performance Liquid Chromatographs (HPLC) Gel Permeation Chromatograph (GPC) Liquid Chromatograph/Mass Spectrometers (LC/MS) Gas Chromatographs (GC) Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometers (GC/MS) Ion Chromatograph Supercritical Fluid (SFC) Extractor Capillary Electrophoresis/Mass Spectrometer (CE/MS) Gel Electrophoresis Systems Light Scattering Refractometer Microarray Scanner Freeze Dryer and Concentrator Critical Point Dryer Contact Angle/Surface Tension Analyzer Powder X-ray Diffractometer (XRD) Single Crystal Diffractometer Scanning Probe Microscope (SPM) Scanning Electrom Micrograph (SEM) Inverted and Stereomicroscopes Differential Scanning Calorimeter (DSC) Thermal Gravimetric Analyzer (TGA) Dynamic Mechanical Analyzer (DMA) Simultaneous TGA-DTA Polarimeter Electrochemical Analyzers Density Meter Viscosity Meter Magnetic Susceptibility Balance Karl Fisher Titrator Laboratory Microwave Pressure Reactor Physical Vapor Depositor Rotary Evaporators Nitrogen Atmosphere Boxes Solvent Purification System