More than one year after Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico is still working to recover from the far-reaching effects and devastating impact of the storm. At the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus, much of the chemical analysis equipment in the Department of Chemistry was damaged after the building suffered more than 45 days without power, at high humidity and with severe fungal contamination. When we learned from Spectroscopists Helping Spectroscopists that one of the faculty there is a Raman spectroscopist specializing in SERS, explosives detection, and biological materials, we saw a unique opportunity to make a contribution.
At SciX 2018, we had the chance to meet Dr. Samuel Hernández personally and initiate the donation of a fully integrated 785 Raman system to his lab for use in undergraduate and graduate teaching and research. And we are delighted to share that the system is now headed to its a new home, where it will give a new generation of spectroscopists the opportunity to explore the versatility of Raman and apply it to solve new problems.
In the face of adversity, no individual can solve every challenge. However, each individual has the power to be part of the solution in a unique and powerful way. We hope our donation will make a lasting difference for the University of Puerto Rico Mayagüez Campus and help them build toward the future.
To learn how you can help, visit Spectroscopists Helping Spectroscopists webpage, or donate to their crowdfunding campaign.
December 2018
