MALDI Education

Project History

This collaborative project grew out of Dr. Grant’s work to open up the worlds of MALDI mass spectrometry and undergraduate research to students at UW-Stout. Doctors Grant and Lutz both saw an opportunity improve technical and STEM education by branching out to include 2-year college students in the effort. In turn, Dr. Lutz saw how it could fit with an existing public-private partnership with Ever Cat Fuels in Anoka, Minnesota. The team grew to include collaborators at Anoka-Ramsey Community College and the focus on including MALDI mass spectrometry in standard STEM education with minimal modification to existing courses was set.

Project Goals

Goal 1: Provide Faculty Development by Enhancing Faculty Technical Skills and Conceptual Understanding of MALDI-TOF Techniques and Theory in Support of Educating Students.

Goal 2: Enhance Students’ Scientific Research Skills, Scientific Information Literacy, and Understanding of MALDI Theory and Techniques

Goal 3: Expand Existing Partnership between Industry and Higher Education

Goal 4: Develop and Test Viability of RIMM Curriculum Model

Future Aims

The team hopes that by creating and distributing high-quality curricular items and providing support to interested 2-year and 4-year college faculty and advanced high school programs, a standard STEM education will include understanding of the important and broad ranging techniques that MALDI mass spectrometry has to offer.  Our intention is also to publish the MALDI data gathered by our students as a contribution to the scientific literature.