December 2, 2006
CALDWELL LEGISLATOR GETS
HANDS-ON EDUCATION IN BOISE STATE RESEARCH PROGRAM
Wearing safety glasses and protective gloves. Rep.
Darrell Bolz of Caldwell conducted a number of hands-on tasks in a
chemistry laboratory at Boise State University recently as part of a
program to introduce Idaho elected officials to research programs in
the state.
Bolz spent the morning in the laboratory of Boise State chemistry
professor Dale Russell and learned about Russell’s research to
develop a uranium sensor. He completed a number of sequential
laboratory tasks with the assistance of Russell and Boise State
senior Noah Minskoff, who works in Russell’s lab.
The visit was part of a “Legislator in the Laboratory” program
organized through the Idaho office of EPSCoR, the Experimental
Program to Stimulate Competitive Research. This program helps
Idaho’s state and national leadership more fully understand the
benefits of academic research and its role in assisting the
expansion of Idaho’s economy.
A patent is currently pending with the U.S. Patent Office for
Russell’s uranium sensor, which detects the presence of uranium in
water at 10 parts per trillion and also detects plutonium and
thorium. The portable sensor could be used as part of efforts to
monitor and clean up nuclear waste sites, to verify compliance with
nuclear non-proliferation treats, and for other uses.
The sensor works by identifying uranium molecules according to
shape, size and electrical charge, then transmitting a signal
proportional to the amount of uranium detected. The probe can be
inserted directly in surface water such as a pond or in groundwater,
and provides accurate information very rapidly.
This sensor research builds on previous sensor work Russell has
pursued since joining Boise State’s faculty in 1995. Russell
received Boise State’s first patent in 2002 for her selective
mercury electrode, which provides an easy and reliable method of
detecting mercury. The electrode could someday be used as part of
clean-up efforts at mine sites or in medical analyses such as
telling dentists when to replace fillings.
A prolific inventor, Russell has 13 awarded patents, including a
number she received while working as a scientist for
Hewlett-Packard. She also has another four patent applications,
including the uranium sensor, currently in various stages of the
patent process
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