Southern acquired new laboratory equipment this school year, expanding the scientific research possibilities. For students seeking preparation for a competitive job market or graduate school application process, this type of hands-on training provides a valuable advantage. 

Students now have access to a beamline device in the Physics and Engineering Department—worth more than $280,000—on loan from Professor Vola Andrianarijaona, PhD, who joined Southern’s faculty in 2020. According to Andrianarijaona, this equipment can replicate interstellar physical conditions and create particles of astrophysical interests by guiding an ion beam through a vacuum. 

“You can see what happens between stars when these kinds of particles collide,” Andrianarijaona said. “There are so many applications, so many things we can do.” 

Physics Club President Arian Dovald, junior physics major, is excited to work on the beamline: “It will be challenging, but we’ll learn so much from the experience.”

The Biology Department also acquired new equipment, upgrading its centrifuge. This device, which separates substances based on their density, will be useful for other departments on campus as well. 

“The centrifuge is a critical instrument in biological and biochemical research,” said Rhonda Scott, PhD, chemistry professor. “It is important to have new equipment for students to use.”