LABORATORY OF THE MONTH
diffraction laboratory, which is equipped with an automatic and m a n ual remote control crystal table, a fourangle full-circle goniostat and diffractometer, and associated devices and laboratories for plant and animal studies. Functions of the center and its facilities involve instruction, including laboratory courses in nuclear science and engineering; research programs which use radioisotopes, ionizing radiation, fast neutrons, and thermal neutrons; consultations on t h e use of nuclear techniques in research ; and exploratory programs on the novel uses of nuclear energy. Each of the 12 faculty members a t the Center is affiliated with an academic department, responsible for instruction programs and research programs in his specialized area and providing consultation service to colleagues elsewhere on the campus. The operational staff consists of 14 men including a reactor supervisor and operators. The operation of the Radiation Center is under the direction of C . H . W a n g and is
D. A. Stott, postdoctoral fellow under M. Daniels is using a flash photolysis apparatus to study the formation of transient species derived from nitrate
ions, DNA and its components, etc. Detailed spectral analysis is made w i t h a versatile, digitized spectrophotometer
Course in radiotracer methods attracts up to 60 graduate and undergraduate students each term VOL. 40, NO. 11, SEPTEMBER 1968
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121 A
A large number (up to 25) of trace minor and major elements in meteorites are being determined via instrumental neutron activation analysis. The analyzer is interfaced with a computer housed at the university computer center
LABORATORY
OF THE
MONTH
guided b y a Coordination Board consisting of executive deans and deans of individual schools. T h e Center is currently providing space for 16 other research programs and providing research service to 25 other research programs. Some typical research areas can be cited to reflect the activities a t the OSU Radiation Center. Thus, R. A. Schmitt and Walter Loveland, members of the Division of Radiochemistry and Radiation Chemistry of the Department of Chemistry are pursuing research projects in cosmo, nuclear, and radiochemistry, covering a broad spectrum of interests. Some of the forthcoming lunar samples wall be subjected to the above instrumental and radiochemical activation analyses b y this particular group. More recently, D r . Loveland has also been devoting his effort to deducing the structure of the transition state nucleus in nuclear fission from studies of neutron, photon, and charged particle induced fission. Alan Robinson in cooperation with Charles Porter is making use of neutron radiography and autoradiography of neutron irradiated samples as research tools in materials science studies and medical applications. One of their research projects involves the study of 122 A
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ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
Gamma ray spectrum of thermal neutron irradiated U. S. Geological Survey standard granitic rock G-2 taken 50 days after irradiation with a 3.6-cc Ge(Li) detector coupled to a 4096-channel analyzer phase separation in diffusion couples made from zirconium boride and zirconium oxide. Radiation chemistry research under the direction of Malcolm Daniels is concerned with studies of radiolysis a n d photolysis of compounds in aqueous solutions. Use of radioisotopes as tracers is introduced to graduate students in a sequence of two courses taught b y D . J. Reed. His current research efforts include studies on mechanism of enzymic reactions using radiotracer methods. Also housed in the Center is the radiation biology program under the direction of D . J. Kimeldorf and S. Nachtwey. A. Johnson, health physicist, supervises the safety aspects of all programs. The T R I G A research reactor which went critical in M a r c h has logged 680 hours of operation cummulating 79,120 Kw-hours under the direction of J. C. Ringle, D e p a r t m e n t of Mechanical, Industrial, and Nuclear Engineering. The T R I G A research reactor as well as the AGN-201 reactor are currently used extensively in the instruction programs in nuclear engineering with the curricula leading to the award of B.S., M.S., and P h . D . degrees.
