ASU students to benefit from nearly $1M laboratory equipment donation

To support hands-on undergraduate training with modern laboratory equipment, Barbara and Scott Dow have donated spectroscopy, chromatography and other analytical equipment and chemicals to the School of Molecular Sciences at Arizona State University.

ASU has played an integral part in the Dows’ lives and careers. Scott graduated from ASU with his master’s degree, and their son obtained his undergraduate degree from ASU. They have regularly hired ASU interns and graduates in their companies over the years, and they are involved with the ASU Art Museum.

The donation of analytical equipment, which has an appraised value of $850,000 and an estimated replacement cost of $1,220,500, deepens their ties to the university.

“When we closed our testing company, another group wanted our equipment,” Barbara said. “However, we value higher education, and when we saw that the students we hired lacked experience with modern technology, Scott and I felt it was important to give students better opportunities to be prepared for job prospects.”

“We wanted to invest in public education,” Scott added. “We feel that if you live in Arizona, and especially in the Valley, you should support higher education because these students will be the ones who will be helping us out. They are the future. We need these students to stay in Arizona and work in Arizona, so we need to help prepare them for their careers here.”

Philanthropy plays an important role in driving innovation and progress. Students are better prepared for the workforce when their education includes hands-on experience with modern industrial technology.

“The laboratory equipment and chemicals donated encompass important fields of chemistry involving biochemistry, analytical and physical chemistry, and the 2,000 students who pass through our laboratories annually will use them at least once during their course at the university,” said Tijana Rajh, director of the School of Molecular Sciences.

“This instrumentation will allow us to improve instructional laboratories and add new approaches in support of undergraduate chemistry and biochemistry students, preparing them for the jobs of the future by providing them with experiential learning opportunities similar to those in industrial settings.”

From left: John Crozier, manager of safety programs for the School of Molecular Sciences, Scott Dow, Barbara Dow and Tijana Rajh, director of the School of Molecular Sciences. Photo courtesy the School of Molecular Sciences/ASU