Princeton grant to take analytical chemistry into the classroom

A grant awarded to Princeton University gives the educational institution the chance to take analytical chemistry into classrooms across the US by loaning equipment such as electrophoresis kits to teachers.

Gel electrophoresis kits and polymerase chain reaction thermocyclers are among the analytical chemistry equipment the educational facility is likely to lend out following its receipt of $1.5 million (£1 million) from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI).

Fred Hughson, director of the university's HHMI Undergraduate Research Education Program, says: "The unifying theme here is that the best way to get people excited about science is to give them a chance to do science."

That means providing teachers with the necessary equipment to carry out experiments in the classroom, while the university also welcomes college students throughout the summer months to carry out research using its facilities.

At these summer events, Princeton University says that secondary school teachers are taught the basics of micropipetting in the morning, before running their first gel samples after lunch.