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Audrey Berry, 970/248-7727

GRAND JUNCTION, CO —The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Legacy Management (LM) recently donated laboratory equipment and supplies worth more than $690,000 to colleges and universities throughout the country, including Mesa State College and Colorado State University Cooperative Extension in Mesa County.

The donations were made through the Energy-Related Laboratory Equipment (ERLE) Grant Program. DOE established the program to grant used surplus energy-related laboratory equipment to colleges, universities,
and other nonprofit educational institutions of higher learning in the United States for use in energy-oriented educational programs. Educational institutions can search and apply for equipment that is listed in a database on the ERLE website.

Approximately $3 million worth of equipment has been transferred to other entities from the DOE Analytical Chemistry Laboratory in Grand Junction since its closure last year. Most of the property went to two other DOE laboratories, and the remainder was donated through ERLE. Colleges and universities received a variety of laboratory equipment and supplies, including processors, pumps, distillers, ovens, water baths, scales, centrifuges, desiccators, heat mantles, gas detectors, and meters.

DOE donated a constant-temperature refrigeration unit, plus filtration supplies, glassware, and plastic ware to Mesa State College’s Environmental Science program. “Students will use the refrigeration unit to learn how to characterize water quality and to learn about different water quality parameters,” said Dr. Russ Walker, Professor of Environmental Science at Mesa State College.

“We really appreciate the opportunity to get a hold of that equipment,” said Walker. “A new refrigeration unit costs about $16,000, and we wouldn’t have been able to have one if this opportunity hadn’t come up,” he said. “This was free for the hauling, so it was a great deal.”

“DOE Legacy Management is delighted to be able to provide this type of excess property to colleges and universities, especially those in our area,” said Jon Sink, DOE-LM Organizational Property Management Officer. “This is the first time the Grand Junction site has used the ERLE Grant Program, and we were very pleased with the results, particularly the number and scope of colleges and universities that applied for equipment. We wouldn’t have been able to provide this type of equipment without the program.”