Shenandoah Valley Regional NMR Facility, James Madison University
Shenandoah Valley Regional NMR Facility
The NMR facility in the middle of the Shenandoah Valley strives to intertwine research and teaching; they are a place where undergraduates from JMU and the surrounding region can conduct high-quality research, learn technical skills, and learn the theory behind what they are doing. The center is set up to teach, foster collaboration, and provide data throughout a region that has no large scientific center.
Most NMR center’s focus on having the biggest of the most magnets. On the other side of the spectrum, some PUIs teach NMR by using a small instrument that is carefully controlled. Theirs is the only center that we know about that occupies the space between these teaching labs and research labs. They have good instrumentation (600, 400, 300 MHz instruments) yet they also serve as a place of learning. On the teaching side, the NMR facility is the center of an REU program that has been active for over 20 years. They are one of the few places in the country to train deaf students.