Three-Dimensional Molecular Analysis
Boosts Research Sciences
at Cal State L.A.

Los Angeles, CA – A powerful new research capability at Cal State L.A. will enhance science learning across multiple disciplines. The 600-megahertz NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) spectrometer is the most powerful machine of its kind within the CSU, enabling researchers to analyze the three-dimensional structure of molecules and image small animals in vivo.

“As chemists, we must understand structures at the molecular level so we’ll know how they’re made up,” says Yong Ba (Monrovia resident), associate professor of chemistry and director of the NMR Lab at CSULA. “The NMR allows us to see what’s inside a molecule and living tissue without destroying anything, in a way that no other instrument can. It’s the single most important instrument in chemistry and biological science.”

Funded jointly by the W.M. Keck Foundation, National Institutes of Health and Cal State L.A., the NMR aligns magnetic nuclei with a very powerful external magnetic field. NMR spectroscopy is one of the primary techniques used to obtain structural information about a molecule. It is the only technique that can provide detailed information on the exact three-dimensional structure of biological molecules in solution.

The NMR, already drawing faculty observers from other universities, will be used in research across several departments, including chemistry, biology, kinesiology and nutritional science. CSULA science faculty members plan to invite local high-school and middle-school students to observe and learn about the powerful capabilities of the NMR.

Desdemona Cardoza, dean of the University’s College of Natural and Social Sciences, states: “By leveraging resources from both private and public sources, Cal State L.A. has been able to provide this state-of-the-art laboratory facility for students and faculty in the sciences. Having the NMR on our campus significantly enhances our ability to secure research and training grants enabling our students to engage in research activities with faculty and gain hands-on experience with this leading-edge technology.”

Photos of the NMR lab are available here: http://www.calstatela.edu/staff/scarste/kearns/NMR4/

Working for California since 1947: The 175-acre hilltop campus of California State University, Los Angeles is at the heart of a major metropolitan city, just five miles from Los Angeles’ civic and cultural center. More than 20,000 students and 185,000 alumni—with a wide variety of interests, ages and backgrounds--reflect the city’s dynamic mix of populations. Six colleges offer nationally recognized science, arts, business, criminal justice, engineering, nursing, education and humanities programs, among others, led by an award-winning faculty. Cal State L.A. is home to the critically-acclaimed Luckman Jazz Orchestra and to a unique university center for gifted students as young as 12. Among programs that provide exciting enrichment opportunities to students and community include an NEH- and Rockefeller-supported humanities center; a NASA-funded center for space research; and a growing forensic science program, to be housed in the Los Angeles Regional Crime Lab now under construction. www.calstatela.edu

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