Civil Engineering Department Facilities

Departmental Facilities and Individual Faculty Research Laboratories:Advanced Characterization of Infrastructure MaterialsThe Advanced Characterization of Infrastructure Materials (ACIM) laboratory is a state-of-the-art facility for advanced materials characterization, nondestructive evaluation and computational modeling of infrastructure materials. The laboratory was established by the Zachry Department of Civil Engineering and the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI).

The ACIM laboratory includes equipment and analysis tools for three-dimensional nondestructive imaging of material microstructure, mineralogical analysis of aggregates, quantitative image analysis of aggregate shape characteristics, measuring surface free energy of asphalt binders and aggregates, characterization of adhesion between various material and pavement systems using micro-structural analysis and continuum mechanics.

In our materials research program, we interact with and share the resources of the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station, the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI), and several university-based national centers of expertise, including the International Center for Aggregates Research, the South Central Superpave Center, and the Center for Asphalt Materials and Chemistry. These centers offer the opportunity to provide funding for outstanding students and to demonstrate the application of engineering principles and research on a field scale.

TTI provides the faculty, researchers, and graduate students of the materials area of the department access to its expertise and resources, and state-of-the-art research tools. The research facilities include the state-of-the art equipment for mechanical testing, nondestructive evaluation, and microstructure characterization techniques such as optical imaging systems, X-ray computed tomography, and scanning electron microscopes.

Advanced Computational Mechanics Laboratory Professor Reddy’s Advanced Computational Mechanics Laboratory (ACML) at Texas A&M University is dedicated to state-of-the-art research in the development of novel mathematical models and numerical simulation of physical phenomena. Some of the research projects carried out at the Advanced Computational Mechanics Laboratory include variational principles of theoretical mechanics, mathematical theory of mixed and penalty finite-element approximations, analytical solutions of the refined theories of laminated composite plates and shells, nano and bio mechanics, least-squares finite element models of viscous, incompressible, Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluid flow problems as well as plate and shell structures as well as well-received textbooks on applied mathematics, variational methods, the finite element method, and laminated composite plates and shells.

Professor Reddy’s Advanced Computational Mechanics Laboratory (ACML) at Texas A&M University is dedicated to state-of-the-art research in the development of novel mathematical models and numerical simulation of physical phenomena. The ACML computing facilities include a 16-node supercomputer comprised of 1-head node, 11-compute nodes and 4-Gluster storage nodes. Each compute node has: Dual Hexa-Core E5-2630 “Sandy Bridge” 2.3 GHz

Processors, 32 GB RAM and 256 GB SSD scratch storage. The system also has 66 TB of archival storage space.

Center for Dredging StudiesThe Center for Dredging Studies was established in 1968 as a result of conferences held between educators, representatives of the dredging industry, manufacturers, and officials at Texas A&M University. The Center is located in the Department of Ocean Engineering and is supported by gifts and research grants from the dredging industry and the government and continuing education courses.

In addition to research and industrial testing, the Center’s activities include teaching university courses and providing annual seminars and short courses concerning advances in dredging engineering technology. The center sponsors the annual dredging engineering short course. The Center for Dredging Studies also actively generates reports, participates in regional, national and international dredging conferences and has a cutter suction dredge simulator.

Gibb Gilchrist Building The 67,000-square-foot Gibb Gilchrist Building, located in the Texas A&M University Research Park, was designed and built specifically to meet the needs of leading edge transportation research. The TransLink® Gilchrist Laboratory, the Driving Simulator, the TTI Library and the Communications publishing facilities are located in Gilchrist.

● Arrington Research ViewPoint Eye Tracking System ● Digital Publishing Facility ● Driving Simulator ● Hardware-in-the-Loop (HITL) Simulation Testbed ● Instrumented Vehicle ● TTI Library

Haynes Coastal Engineering LaboratoryThe 25,000-square-foot Reta and Bill Haynes '46 Coastal Engineering Laboratory at Texas A&M University brings ocean and estuarine environments into a laboratory setting where engineers, researchers and educators can tackle the most challenging problems of near-shore, offshore and estuarine regions.Equipment and Instrumentation A 3-ton overhead crane services both the 3-D basin and the tow-dredge tank, and an instrument carriage spans the shallow water basin. All valves, pumps, and weir gates are electronically controlled from the data acquisition room. Operator control is via computer or manual, and an observation well provides underwater viewing for both basin and tank.List of Equipment and Instrumentation:

1 ATMI load cell (6 degrees of freedom, 500 in-lb)4 Axial flow pumps for current generation (35,000 GPM)1 Clamshell (0.75 cubic yard capacity)1 Cutter drive and torque sensor2 Cutters (12 inch)

1 Data acquisition system (40 channel) 2 Data acquisition systems (8 channel) 1 Dredge pump (500 GPM)1 Fork Lift (2 ton)1 Front end loader (Bobcat)1 Hopper barge (15 cubic yard capacity)1 Instrument carriage on rails for wave basin1 Laser profiler3 Load cells (100, 200 and 300 lb)6 Load cells on dredge carriage ladder (3000 lb)1 Magnetic flow meter on dredge carriage1 Model Dredge (4 in suction, 3 inch discharge, 500 GPM)4 Nortek Vectrino acoustic Doppler current meters (all 3D)1 Nuclear density gauge on dredge carriage1 Observation well with windows into both tanks1 Overhead crane (3 ton)2 Pansonic video cameras (records to DVD)1 Qualisys portable optical motion tracking system (4 cameras)1 Rexroth multidirectional wave generator (48 paddles)4 Sontek acoustic Doppler current meters (2 – 2D and 2 – 3D)2 Still digital cameras (1 Nikon and 1 Canon)1 T-bar soil strength test device1 Tow/dredge carriage (max speed 4 knots) for towing tank1 TriFlo sand-water separation system (120 GPM)2 Underwater cameras and underwater lights24 Wave gauges (capacitance, resistance)2 Web cams for laboratory observationShallow water (3-D) wavebasin

Length: 36.6 m (120 ft)Depth: 1.5 m (4 ft)Width: 22.9 m (75 ft) wideRecirculation capacity: 2.65 m3/s (35,000 GPM)Wave generator: segmented piston type with directional capabilitiesWave periods: 0.5 to 5 secWave heights: up to 0.58 m in 1.0 m water depth.Wave types: harmonic, irregular, or any type of wave spectra (linear and nonlinear);

short-crested and broad-crestedTwo-dimensional tow-dredge tank

Length: 45.7 m (150 ft) Depth: 3.05 m (10 ft)Width: 3.7 m (12 ft) Sediment pit: 7.6 m (25 ft) long by 1.7 m (5 ft) deep Recirculation capability: 2.21 m3/s (35,000 GPM)Features: Top and bottom weirsObservation windows

Web cameraHigh-speed towing carriage with 4-inch dredge pump to support cutter suction and hopper dredging components

High Bay Structural and Materials Testing Laboratory The High-Bay Structural and Materials Testing Laboratory primarily serves the researchers of the Zachry Department of Civil Engineering, the Dwight Look College of Engineering, and the Texas Transportation Institute. The testing equipment, instrumentation, and shop equipment contained within the High-Bay Structural and Materials Testing Laboratory represent an investment of several million dollars and is one of the largest, most modern, and best-equipped facilities of its kind located in the South and Southwest.

The laboratory complex contains a high-bay structural laboratory with a total floor area of 4,000 sq.ft. (40 ft. x 100 ft.) with a ceiling height of 39 ft. The high-bay area contains a 2 ft thick heavily reinforced concrete strong floor suitable for large scale testing. Tie-down holes throughout the floor are on 3 ft. centers. Each tie-down hole can withstand a service load of 100 kips exerted either upward or downward. The area has temperature and humidity controls and a 20-ton overhead crane.

The facility accommodates a variety of structural specimens and has several computer-controlled dynamic or static (tension or compression) actuators: two each with capacities of 200 kips, 100 kips, 50 kips, and 20 kips. Three 600 kip static loading jacks are also available. The laboratory has two permanently installed high force test systems rated at 1,500 kips and 500 kips (tension or compression), dynamic or static. A central hydraulic pump facility with two 70 gpm pumps and one 40 gpm pump services all test equipment in the laboratory at 3000 psi.

Individual automated consoles control all test actuators or machines as closed-loop systems. PC-based data acquisition systems with signal filtering and conditioning capabilities are used to record experimental data from extensive measurement devices, including a wide array of LVDT’s, accelerometers, and load cells. Data acquisition capabilities include automated strain gage bridge completion circuitry as well as analog inputs. The available resources include:

High-Axial Capacity Test System - Fatigue rated to 1,500,000 pounds, specimens up to 14 feet in length

High-Axial Capacity Test System - Fatigue rated to 500,000 pounds, specimens up to 7 feet in length

Axial-Torsional Test System - Fatigue rated to 20,000 pound axial, 10,000 in-pound torque capacity

Axial-Precision Test System - Precisely aligned crosshead and grips produce superior results in compression testing

High-Rate Material Test System - Up to 1,000 inches/second displacement rates, 12,000 pound capacity

Axial Test System - High-frequency fatigue rated to 20,000 pounds Structural Actuators - 20 kip, 50 kip, 100 kip, 200 kip capacities, capability to push or pull in

any direction using any combination of actuators and the lab strong floor Pneumatic Loading Cylinders - Compressive loads up to 300,000 pounds Shear Test System - Combined axial, direct shear and pressure loading tailored to testing Compression Load Frame - Horizontal load frame rated to 1,800,000 pounds compression

X-ray Computed Tomography (CT) System - Equipped with two X-ray sources (350 kV and 225 kV) for imaging wide range of materials of different densities and thicknesses.

Aggregate Imaging System (AIMS) - Computed automated system for measuring the three dimensional shape, angularity and texture of granular materials.

Wilhelmy Plate (WP), Microcalorimeter and Universal Sorption Device (USD) - Surface energy of construction materials measurement.

The High-Bay Structural and Materials Testing Laboratory primarily serves the researchers of the Zachry Department of Civil Engineering, the Dwight Look College of Engineering, and the Texas Transportation Institute. The testing equipment, instrumentation, and shop equipment contained within the High-Bay Structural and Materials Testing Laboratory represent an investment of several million dollars and is one of the largest, most modern, and best-equipped facilities of its kind located in the South and Southwest.

International Center for Aggregates ResearchThe International Center for Aggregates Research has become an international leader in aggregates research, aggregates technology transfer, and education. This is a joint effort between Texas A&M University & the University of Texas. It serves as a facilitator for determining the most effective use of aggregates in design, specification, and construction.

Offshore Technology Research CenterThe Offshore Technology Research Center is a joint venture between Texas A&M University, the University of Texas, the National Science Foundation, and the offshore industry. The center was established to undertake basic engineering research in support of economic resource development in deep offshore waters.

The OTRC operates a unique model testing basin at its headquarters in College Station that has enabled OTRC to become a world leader for offshore technology, education, research, and testing. The model basin, is the most prominent symbol of the OTRC. Researchers use the tank to develop high-quality data sets against which sponsors can validate their models. A three-dimensional wave maker along with wind and current generators simulate the conditions facing deepwater structures. The facility has tested models of structures ranging from Tension Leg Platforms and Spars to Remotely Operated Vehicles for the petroleum industry and an Assured Crew Return Vehicle designed by NASA for the international space station.

The OTRC model basin is capable of large scale simulations of the effects of wind, waves, and currents on fixed, floating and moored floating structures. The wave basin is 150 ft long and 100 ft wide, with a depth of 19 ft. The pit located in the center of the basin has a depth of 55 ft. With 48 individual controlled paddles, the wavemaker can generate a variety of wave conditions, including unidirectional and multidirectional regular and irregular (random) waves.  Sixteen dynamically controlled fans can generate prescribed gusty wind conditions from any direction. A modular current generation system consisting of banks of submerged jets can generate

sheared current profiles from any direction. The data acquisition system can record up to 96 channels of information.

Texas A&M Transportation InstituteThe mission of TTI is to solve transportation problems through research, to transfer technology, and to develop diverse human resources to meet the transportation challenges of tomorrow.

● Asphalt Binder and Chemistry Laboratory ● Asphalt Mixture Testing Laboratory ● Concrete Laboratory ● Driving Simulator ● Environmental & Emissions Research Facility ● Eye Tracking Systems ● Hardware-in-the-Loop (HITL) Simulation Testbed ● High-Bay Structural and Materials Testing Laboratory ● Instrumented Vehicle ● Mobile Retroreflectometer Certification Course ● Model and Machining Center ● National Geotechnical Experimentation Site ● Pavement Non-destructive Testing Equipment ● Pavement Profiler Evaluation Facility ● Proving Grounds Research Facility ● Sediment and Erosion Control Laboratory (SEC) ● Soils and Aggregates Laboratory ● Visibility Research Laboratory

Multi-User TAMU Facilities used by Civil Engineering Faculty :

Supercomputing Facilities:

TAMU High Performance Research ComputingThis resource for research and discovery has four available clusters for faculty research:

(1) Ada is a 17,340-core IBM/Lenovo commodity cluster with nodes based mostly on Intel's 64-bit 10-core IvyBridge processors. In addition to the 852 compute nodes, there are 8 login nodes, each with 256 GB of memory and GPUs or Phi coprocessors per node.

(2) Crick is a 368-core IBM Power7+ BigData cluster with nodes based on IBM's 64-bit 16-core Power7+ processors. Included in the 23 nodes are 1 BigSQL node with 256GB of memory per node and 14TB (raw) of storage and 22 data nodes with 14TB (raw) storage for GPFS-FPO and local caching. Crick is primarily used for big data analytics. In addition to these nodes are 2 login nodes with 128GB of memory per node,

(3) Curie is an 768-core IBM Power7+ cluster with nodes based on IBM's 64-bit 16-core Power7+ processors. In addition to the 48 nodes are 2 login nodes with 256GB of memory per node. Curie's file system and batch scheduler are shared with Ada cluster.

(4) LoneStar5 is the latest cluster hosted by the Texas Advanced computing Center. Jointly funded by the University of Texas System, Texas A&M University and Texas Tech University, it provides additional resources to TAMU researchers. LoneStar5 has: 252 Cray XC40 compute nodes, each with two 12-core Intel® Xeon® processing cores for a total of 30,048 compute cores; 2 large memory compute nodes, each with 1TB memory; 8 large memory compute nodes, each with 512GB memory; 16 Nodes with NVIDIA K-40 GPUs; 5 Petabyte DataDirect Networks storage system; and Cray-developed Aries interconnect.

This facility has about 500TB of disk space. The HPRC group provides its users with access to several specially configured "HPRC Lab" Linux workstations at two separate locations on the TAMU campus, and can assist with: debugging, code optimization and parallelization, batch processing, and collaborative advanced program support.

Brazos HPC ClusterBrazos, a major computing cluster at Texas A&M University, is designed to meet the high-throughput computing needs of A&M's computational scientists and engineers. Though capable of executing modest MPI applications, Brazos is optimized for handling large numbers of single-node computations. The computing power of Brazos comes from 309 computing nodes, with processors ranging from quad core Intel Xeon (Harpertown) and AMD Opteron (Shanghai), to 8-core AMD Opteron (Bulldozer) with 16GB to 128GB per node. Total peak performance is about 31.3 TFlops with a total of 10.1TB of RAM.

Access to Brazos is via a login nodes load balanced using round-robin DNS. User home directories are supported by a 5TB NFS file system. Data storage is supported using the Fraunhofer Filesystem on a 241TB storage array running on 7 storage nodes. Operating software for Brazos includes the Linux operating system, GNU and Intel compilers, SLURM batch scheduler, several MPI and linear algebra packages, and numerous applications.

The compute nodes and servers of Brazos are connected internally via a modular switch, with Gigabit Ethernet connections to each compute node and 10GbE connections to the login node and the data fileservers. The login nodes are connected to the Science DMZ network with 10GbE. The networking fabric for a large portion of the Brazos cluster is DDR Infiniband.

Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC)The Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC) designs and operates some of the world's most powerful computing resources. The center's mission is to enable discoveries that advance science and society through the application of advanced computing technologies. Through this center TAMU faculty have access to multiple supercomputers, including:Stampede - has 6,400 Dell C8220 compute nodes are housed in 160 racks; each node has two

Intel E5 8-core (Sandy Bridge) processors and an Intel Xeon Phi 61-core (Knights Corner) coprocessor. Stampede is a multi-use, cyberinfrastructure resource offering large memory, large data transfer, and graphic processor unit (GPU) capabilities for data-intensive, accelerated or visualization computing. To this end, there are also 16 large-memory nodes with 1 terabyte (TB) memory, as well as 128 compute nodes with NVIDIA Kepler K20 GPUs. All components are integrated with an InfiniBand FDR network of Mellanox switches to deliver extreme scalability and high-speed networking.

Lonestar

1252 Cray XC40 compute nodes, each with two 12-core Intel® Xeon® processing cores for a total of 30,048 compute cores

2 large memory compute nodes, each with 1TB memory 8 large memory compute nodes, each with 512GB memory 16 Nodes with NVIDIA K-40 GPUs 5 Petabyte DataDirect Networks storage system Cray-developed Aries interconnect

Wrangler:System Features:

Geographically replicated, high performance data storage (10PB each site) Large scale flash storage tier for analytics with bandwidth of 1TB/s and 250M IOPS (6x

faster than Stampede) More than 3,000 embedded processor cores for data analysis Flexible support for a wide range of data workflows, including those using Hadoop and

databases. Integration with Globus Online services for rapid and reliable data transfer and sharing. A fully scalable design that can grow with the amount of users and as data applications

grow.Wrangler Subsystems:

A 10PB storage system A set of 120 Intel Haswell-based servers for data access and embedded analytics A high-speed global object store made from NAND Flash

Other Multi-User Facilities:

Center for Chemical Characterization and Analysis (CCCA)Department of Chemistry

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Facility - The NMR Facility includes 10 superconducting spectrometer magnet systems, 4 LINUX workstations dedicated to data processing, and 3 full time staff to support them with maintenance, user training, and spectroscopic service. Although this facility is physically housed within the Chemistry Department, it provides services to the entire campus community.

X-Ray Diffraction Laboratory - The lab maintains 3 Micro-focus IuS sources, a Venture CMOS, QUEST CMOS, three Bruker single-crystal APEXii CCD Diffractometers, 1 Bruker GADDS/Histar diffractometer, and 3 Bruker powder diffractometers. The X-ray Diffraction Laboratory is staffed by two full-time Ph.D. level scientists.

Laboratory for Biological Mass Spectrometry – Chemistry Mass Spectrometry Facility - The services available include analyses of

compounds ranging from small organic molecules to macromolecules including proteins, oligonucleotides, polymers and dendrimers. Instruments available include: Applied Biosystems PE SCIEX QSTAR; Thermo Scientific DSQ II GCMS; and Thermo Scientific LCQ-DECA

Center for Mass Spectrometry - is dedicated to providing cutting-edge technology and expertise for the characterization of molecules to fulfill the needs of researchers at TAMU.  Mass spectrometry (MS) plays an increasingly important role in molecular

level research, and it is central to ‘omics’ research, i.e., petroleomics, proteomics, metabolomics, lipidomics, glycomics, etc and the CMS provides expert staff with modern instrumentation to complete these tasks .  Instruments available include: Thermo Scientific Fusion; Bruker 9.4T FT-ICR MS; MDS-Sciex 4000 Qtrap; and Applied Biosystems 4800+ MALDI TOF/TOF MS.

Elemental Analysis Lab (EAL) - The Elemental Analysis Laboratory is located on the ground floor of the Olin E. Teague Research Center on the Texas A&M University campus in College Station, TX. Managed by Dr. Bryan E. Tomlin, this facility is part of the Department of Chemistry’s Center for Chemical Characterization and Analysis (CCCA). The laboratory provides research support in the area of elemental and trace analysis.Analytical Services - The Elemental Analysis Laboratory specializes in two kinds of

neutron activation analysis (NAA).● Fast neutron activation analysis (FNAA)● Thermal instrumental neutron activation (INAA)

User Facilities - Our Laboratory provides training and access to use inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The ICP-MS has been fitted with both:● Liquid autosampler for solution analysis● 213-nm laser ablation module for solids/surface analysis

Center for Phage TechnologyCoupled with modern DNA-based biotechnology, phage have enormous potential as “green” anti-bacterial agents. In May 2010, the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents established The Center for Phage Technology, – the CPT – , with the mandate to position the Texas A&M University System as a world leader in the application of phage to combat bacterial infections in humans, animals and plants, to promote food safety, to protect against potential bacteriological weapons, and to prevent or mitigate the deleterious effects of bacterial contamination, degradation and corrosion in industry.Bioinformatic resourcesGalaxy – A server for bioinformatics analysis tools. Allows many tools to be chained together into complex workflowsCPT Galaxy – Galaxy instanceOnline analysis tools – A useful repository of links to online bioinformatic tools for DNA and protein sequence analysis.PhAnToMe – A collection of genome annotation tools and methods.PHAST – A tool that locates and annotates putative prophage elements within prokaryotic genomes. Can analyze both annotated genomes (GenBank format) or raw FASTA format DNA sequence.Prophinder – Analyzes annotated sequences for the presence of putative prophage elements; also contains a database of pre-analyzed genomes present in the NCBI database.Viral Bioinformatics Resource Center – A suite of Java-based tools for analysis of viral genomes.

Center for Translational Environmental Health ResearchCTEHR is a newly established NIEHS funded National Center of Excellence in Environmental Health Science (P30ES023512). CTEHR is a collaboration among Texas A&M University, Texas A&M AgriLife, Texas A&M Health Science Center, Baylor College of Medicine, and the

University of Houston. The Center is comprised of several facility cores and programs which serve to establish a “Discovery Pipeline,” providing resources to support hypothesis generation, testing, and translation. The research base of CTEHR is organized around five interrelated thematic focus areas: early life exposures, microbiome, chronic disease, metabolism, and enabling technologies.THEMATIC FOCUS AREAS

● Early life exposures and their impact on susceptibility to disease● The microbiome as a target for environmental exposures and as a modifier of response to

environmental stressors● Chronic disease that is impacted by environmental exposures● Metabolism as a target for environmental stressors and as a modifier of response to

environmental exposures● Enabling technologies to advance environmental health research

Energy InstituteThe Texas A&M Energy Institute interdisciplinary research program focuses on the interacting themes of:

a. Fossil and Non-Fossil based Technologies for Energy ;b. Materials, Catalysis, and Separations for Energy ;c. Multi-scale Energy Systems Engineering ; andd. Energy Economics, Law, Policy, and Societal Impact .The four interconnected themes are further classified into (10) research areas, and (65)

research topics. To enhance the synergy among different disciplines, the Texas A&M Energy Institute introduces annual multi-PI proposal calls and provides seed and matching funds for competitively selected group projects.

Texas A&M University is home to world-class research facilities which include the newly constructed Giesecke Engineering Research Building (GERB). The GERB is home to multidisciplinary researchers and faculty from the over 240 faculty affiliated with the Texas A&M Energy Institute. In the GERB, three focus areas are housed; Nanotechnology, Materials Science, and Computational Science. Researchers from the departments of Chemical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering cross-pollinate to lead to cutting-edge, interdisciplinary breakthroughs.

GIS and Undergraduate Computer LaboratoryTexas A&M University is committed to GIScience research, education, and practice to serve the TAMU community of stakeholders and bring forth the next generation of technology, scholars, and practitioners. The facilities available to those interested in GIScience research and education include numerous open access computer labs across campus as well as dedicated research and teaching labs in individual departments and centers.

The TAMU GIScience facilities offer hardware, software, and support for using GIScience related technologies and tools in both teaching and research. TAMU students, faculty, and staff have access to the latest GIScience technology including an ArcGIS site license, statistical and modeling software (SAS, SPSS, Stata, and Matlab). Multiple academic units on campus provide ground-based LiDAR systems, surveying equipment, and survey quality GPS receivers.

● Geography GIS/ RS Labs - The Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Lab is located in the CSA (Teague) Building (# B002A). The GIS lab is used for instruction and research

and contains 19 computers and one black and white laser printer. The Remote Sensing (RS) Lab is located on the seventh floor of the O&M Building (# 707).

Institute for Molecular and Developmental Biology (IDMB) The IDMB provides state-of-the-art equipment and services to the research and teaching community of TAMU through its component laboratories, the Gene Technologies Laboratory (GTL), and the Rice Biotechnology Laboratory (RBL). The IDMB hosts researchers from other institutions interested in developmental and molecular biology, especially relative to transgenic rice, and the role of chromatin in gene expression and gene silencing.

The GTL houses automated sequencers and DNA extraction equipment and provides inexpensive services to some 150 researchers in the Texas A&M community. Services available through the GTL include the following:

DNA Sequencing Client Performed Reactions Form GTL Performed Reactions Form

Oligonucleotide Ordering AutoGenprep 850 alpha access to MJ Research thermal cyclers discount purchase of sequencing reagents access to Sequencher DNA sequencing software technical consultation

Institute for Plant Genomics and Biotechnology, Laboratory for Genome Biotechnology ABI 3130xl Genetic Analyzer

● A capillary sequencer for service sequencing and DNA marker analysis● $2.50/sample

Real-Time PCR Systems● CFX 384 and ABI 7900HT SDS● Real-Time PCR machine for allelic discrimination, quantification and dissociation curve

analysisComputing system

● DNA Sequencing Analysis and Sequencer software for sequence analysis● Primer Express software to design TaqMan primers and probes● Genescan, Genotyper and GeneMaper

Additional equipment● Genogrinder● Photo-documentation System: ChemiDoc XRS+, Gel Doc XR+● Beckman DU-640 spectrophotometer, NanoDrop ND 1000 Spectrophotometer Victor

Plate Reader and Alpha Imager Mini

Laboratory for Molecular SimulationThe Laboratory for Molecular Simulation (LMS) brings molecular modeling and computational chemistry closer to the experimental scientist by offering training to both new and advanced users. Advanced modeling software is available for researchers at Texas A&M University to perform quantum calculations on small molecular or solid systems and molecular mechanics/dynamics modeling for large systems such as proteins, DNA, nanomolecules,

polymers, solids, and liquids. The LMS also provides support for faculty that wish to incorporate molecular modeling in their course material.

Resources available at the LMS include:WORKSHOPS - The LMS offers, free of charge, three types of workshops throughout the year:

1) Linux, 2) Molecular Modelling, and 3) Quantum Mechanics Short Course. For more information please see the workshops link to the left. Most of the programs available through the LMS are only available on Linux based machines, therefore, the Linux workshop is a pre-requisite for all other workshops.

HARDWARE - The LMS has 20 SUN Ultra 20 workstations, 1 dual processor SGI Octane, 3 SGI R12000 O2's, and 4 Power Mac G5's in the computer lab in room 2109 chemistry. To obtain an account you must complete the Linux workshop or have a VERY strong background in Linux or UNIX. For information or an account on one of the LMS computers, please contact Lisa M. Pérez

SOFTWARE - The LMS has a wide variety of molecular modelling software available. Below is a list of each program with a very brief description of it's purpose. For detailed information please visit the program links to the left. If you are interested in obtaining access to this software, want to test a program/module that we currently do not have a license for, or simply have questions about the software, please contact Lisa M. Pérez.ADF/ADF-BAND - ADF Package, by SCM is package is software for first-principles

electronic structure calculations. ADF is used by academic and industrial researchers worldwide in such diverse fields as pharmacochemistry and materials science. (Linux IA64)

AMBER - AMBER, by David Case at The Scripps Research Instititute and collaborators, is the collective name for a suite of programs that allow users to carry out molecular dynamics simulations, particularly on biomolecules. (IRIX, AIX, Linux, Windows, and MacOS X)

AOMix - AOMix is a user-friendly Windows software package for molecular orbital (MO) analysis and spectra simulation from results obtained from the following software packages: ADF, GAMESS, Gaussian, HyperChem, Jaguear, MOPAC, Q-Chem, Spartan, and ZINDO. (Windows)

CHARMm - CHARMm (Chemistry at HARvard Macromolecular Mechanics) is a highly regarded and widely used simulation package for small organic molecules, proteins, DNA, and RNA, which combines standard minimization and dynamics capabilities with expert features including normal mode calculations, and correlation analysis. (IRIX, Linux, and Windows)

Dalton - Dalton QCP is a powerful quantum chemistry program for the calculation of molecular properties with SCF, MP2, MCSCF or CC wave functions. (emphasis on magnetic and electric properties) (IRIX and Linux)

Discovery Studio - A user-friendly graphical molecular modelling program developed by Accelrys Inc., that incorporates a variety of useful molecular modelling codes specifically designed for biological systems. (Windows and Linux)

Gaussian 03 (G03) - A suite of programs to perform semi-empirical and ab initio molecular orbital calculations on Linux/UNIX based machines (IRIX, AIX, Linux, MacOS X, and Windows)

GaussView - The GUI interface to Guassian 03. This program is used to assist the user in setting up calculations, and to visualize results (optimized geometries, molecular orbitals, potential surfaces, vibrational modes, etc. ) (IRIX, AIX, Linux, and Windows)

Materials Studio - A Windows based program designed by Accelrys Inc. for the material sciences. The newest developements of the materials science modules available in cerius2 will only be found in materials studio. Many of the internal programs also run on Linux. (Windows and Linux)

Molden - A graphical program that will allow users of a wide variety of molecular modelling codes (including G98) to visualize their results. (IRIX, AIX, Windows, MacOS X and Linux)

MOLEOnline - MOLEOnline provides an interactive web-based tool to found and analyze molecular channels, tunnels and pores. (on-line)

MOLPRO - A complete system of ab initio programs for molecular electronic structure calculations with an emphasis is on highly accurate computations, with extensive treatment of the electron correlation problem through the multiconfiguration-reference CI, coupled cluster and associated methods. (IRIX, AIX, and Linux)

Q-Chem - A modern ab initio, electronic structure program package, capable of performing first principles calculations on the ground and excited states of molecules. (IRIX)

Quanta - A graphical molecular modelling program that has historically been used for life science calculations (CHARMM) and X-ray crystallography, but is currently developed with advanced tools for macromolecular X-ray crystallographers. (IRIX and Linux)

SPOCK - A full-featured molecular graphics program developed by Dr. Jon A Christopher while in the lab of Thomas O. Baldwin of the Department of Biochemistry & Biophysics at Texas A&M University. Spock has been designed from the ground up to be powerful, flexible and most of all, easy to use. (IRIX)

TINKER - The TINKER molecular modeling software is a complete and general package for molecular mechanics and dynamics, with some special features for biopolymers. TINKER has the ability to use any of several common parameter sets, such as AMBER94/96, CHARMM27, MM2(1991), MM3(2000), OPLS-AA and OPLS-UA. (IRIX, Linux, and Windows)

Materials Characterization FacilityThe Materials Characterization Facility (MCF) at Texas A&M University is a multi-user facility located in the Frederick E. Giesecke Engineering Research Building (GERB) housing the fabrication and characterization instrumentation essential for the development, understanding, and study of new materials and devices. Specific instrumentation available include:Electron Microscopy:

Field Emission-Scanning Electron Microscope (FE-SEM)(JEOL JSM-7500F), Lyra Focused Ion Beam-Scanning Electron Microscope (FIB-SEM) with an EDS

Microanalysis System, Fera Focused Ion Beam-Scanning Electron Microscope (FIB-SEM) with EBSD and

Integrated Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometer (ToF-SIMS), and Electron microprobe with Wavelength Dispersive Spectroscopy (WDS)

Thermal and Electrical Analysis Thermal mechanical analysis (TMA) Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA)

Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) Dielectric spectroscopy Hot Disc thermal conductivity analysis

Surface Analysis X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS)/Ultraviolet Photoelectron S pectroscopy

(UPS) MultiMode Atomic Force M icroscope (AFM) Nanoindenter Dip pen nanolithography Imaging ellipsometer Cameca ion microprobe Icon Atomic Force M icroscope (AFM)

Fabrication Electron beam deposition chamber

Spectroscopy and Microscopy Spectrofluorometer UV-Vis-NIR spectrophotometer Raman confocal microscope Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectrometer Fluorescent confocal microscope

Microscopy & Imaging Center (MIC) The mission of the Microscopy & Imaging Center (MIC) is to provide current and emerging technologies for teaching and research involving microscopy and imaging in Life and Physical Sciences on the Texas A&M campus and beyond, training and support services for microscopy, sample preparation, in situ elemental/molecular analyses, as well as digital image analysis and processing. This facility promotes cutting edge research in basic and applied sciences through research and development activities, as well as quality training and education through individual training, short courses and formal courses that can be taken for credit.Instruments available at the MIC include:

● Light Microscopy ○ Zeiss Axiophot ○ Olympus FV1000 confocal microscope ○ Multiphoton non-linear optical microscope ○ Deconvolution ○ Nikon Stereo Photo Microscope

● Scanning Electron Microscopy ○ FEI Quanta 600 FE-SEM ○ Tescan Vega3 SEM ○ Zyvex S100 Nanomanipulator

● Transmission Electron Microscopy ○ FEI Tecnai G2 F20 FE Cryo-TEM ○ FEI Tecnai G2 F20 ST FE-TEM - Materials ○ JEOL 1200 EX TEM ○ JEOL JEM-2010 TEM ○ Analog & Digital Image Analysis ○ Ancillary Equipment

● Correlative Light and Electron Cryo-Microscopy ○ FEI cryo-fluorescence stage on the Olympus microscope

Polymer Technology CenterAt the Polymer Technology Center, we conduct research on high performance functional polymers for nanotechnology, biotechnology and micro-/nano-electronics packaging applications; surface damage phenomena of polymers; polymer surface to surface interaction forces; structure-property relationship in polymers, blends, polyolefin films, fiber-reinforced composites, adhesives and nanocomposites; strengthening and toughening of polymers; utilization of novel processing tools to enhance physical and mechanical properties of polymers. PTC Faculty members from various disciplines engage in a wide range of research including: Mechanical Testing Laboratory, Microscopy and Thermal Analysis Laboratory, Synthesis and Processing Laboratory, Rheology and Conductivity Laboratory, Sample Preparation Laboratory

RELLISThe Texas A&M University System is creating a new paradigm for the future of applied research, technology development and education. We are advancing the redevelopment of our Riverside Campus, approximately 2,000 acres of prime, largely underdeveloped real estate located adjacent to State Highways 47 and 21, into our Texas A&M RELLIS Education and Research Campus, a high-tech, multi-institutional research, testing and workforce development campus.

The RELLIS Campus is conveniently located just 8 miles/15 minutes from Texas A&M University’s main campus. This location has long been a place where Texas A&M has conducted world-class research, technology development and workforce training in areas such as vehicle safety, traffic engineering, law enforcement training, biological materials processing, robotics and unmanned aerial systems.

Soltis Center for Research and EducationThe core facility of the Soltis Center, located in San Isidro, Costa Rica, is the Bill and Wanda Soltis Academic Building (7,500 square feet), which includes a cafeteria and multipurpose room, laundry room, wet and dry labs, and two classrooms. The academic building also houses a computer lab, a meeting/video conference room, three offices, a first aid station, and restrooms. Directly behind the academic building are 8 bungalows (each one is 600 square feet plus a covered deck) to house scientists, students, and other guests. The Soltis Center has a maximum capacity of 56 people. Wireless internet is available throughout the academic building and bungalows. The entire facility has been designed to be ADA compliant. In addition to the physical facilities, an extensive trail system has been developed to facilitate access to the forest.

There is a 10-m meteorological tower that measures air temperature and relative humidity at the 2- and 10-m heights, wind speed and direction at 10 m, solar radiation at 10 m, and barometric pressure. This station also has two tipping bucket rain gages and two soil moisture/temperature sensors deployed at 10 cm and 30 cm. The station was installed in June 2010 and since that time has been continuously recording data at 5-minute intervals. In addition, five autonomous weather stations are installed at various locations in the forest to quantify the spatial and temporal variation of meteorological and hydrological gradients. Each station is equipped with an Onset USB Weather Station Data Logger, and sensors for wind speed and

direction, precipitation, temperature, relative humidity, leaf wetness, soil moisture, and specially constructed fog collectors. Each station is powered by a 6-watt solar panel.

There is a 10-m meteorological tower that measures air temperature and relative humidity at the 2- and 10-m heights, wind speed and direction at 10 m, solar radiation at 10 m, and barometric pressure. This station also has two tipping bucket rain gages and two soil moisture/temperature sensors deployed at 10 cm and 30 cm. The station was installed in June 2010 and since that time has been continuously recording data at 5-minute intervals. In addition, five autonomous weather stations are installed at various locations in the forest to quantify the spatial and temporal variation of meteorological and hydrological gradients. Each station is equipped with an Onset USB Weather Station Data Logger, and sensors for wind speed and direction, precipitation, temperature, relative humidity, leaf wetness, soil moisture, and specially constructed fog collectors. Each station is powered by a 6-watt solar panel.

As a part of the Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU), projects are supported by the US-National Foundation. The sap flow and throughfall monitoring sites include two data logging and multiplexing systems (CR1000 and AM16/32, Campbell Scientific) and four solar panels capable of producing 300W (BP Solar) with a large power storage capacity (eight marine-type 12V batteries). Currently, 32 sap flow sensors continuously monitoring tree transpiration in 15 trees of a variety of species. An array of six tipping bucket rain gages measure throughfall. The vertical soil moisture profile is measured using five capacitance-type probes and five gypsum blocks to measure soil water potential. A 40-meter walk-up tower that allows scientists and students to safely work within and above the forest canopy was installed in 2012. Sensors that will be installed on the tower in 2014 include 3 eddy covariance systems, temperature and humidity sensors, net radiometers, and leaf wetness sensors at multiple heights to provide flux measurements of energy, carbon, and hydrometeorological variables as part of a new DOE research project jointly funded by the Terrestrial Ecosystem Science and the Earth Systems Modeling programs.The weir dam constructed in 2012 monitors hourly discharge from the main watershed at the Soltis Center.

The Center provides with access to more than 250 acres of primary and second growth. Additionally, the Center’s forests are adjacent to the Children’s Eternal Rainforest and the Monteverde Conservation Area. The Zona Protectora Arenal-Monteverde extends to the Center through a forest corridor that descends in elevation from 1,800 meters at Monteverde to 450 meters above sea level at the Center.

Stable Isotope Geosciences FacilityEstablished on the TAMU campus in College Station in 2009, the Stable Isotope Geosciences Facility is designed to provide accessible, reliable and high-quality stable isotope measurements and training for faculty, staff and students within the College of Geosciences and the Texas A&M community. It was also created as a facility where state-of-the-art methodologies and technological developments in stable isotopes could be applied to important societal problems related to energy, ecology, Earth history, and the environment.

We perform high-precision carbonate δ13C and δ18O analyses with a Thermo Scientific Kiel IV Automated Carbonate Device coupled to a Thermo Scientific MAT 253 dual inlet isotope ratio mass spectrometer (IRMS). Our instrument is capable of analyzing CaCO3 samples as small as 10 μg, making our facility a viable option for specialized carbonate samples such as individual foraminifera.

We routinely analyze an incredibly broad range of organic sample types for bulk total organic carbon, total organic nitrogen, δ13C, and δ15N compositions via Carlo Erba NA 1500 Elemental Analyzer with a Costech Zero-Blank Autosampler. Sample gases are introduced to a Thermo Scientific DELTAplusXP isotope ratio mass spectrometer for analysis through a Thermo Scientific ConFlo III continuous flow peripheral device.

Natural water DIC, soil gas, breath gas, etc. δ13C analyses are available using continuous flow headspace sampling via a Thermo Scientific GasBench II also connected to our DELTAplusXP IRMS.

Water δ18O and δD analyses are performed via Picarro Li2120 Cavity Ring-Down Spectrometer (CRDS). Water δ18O and δD analyses are also available using headspace equilibration methods on the GasBench II upon special request, or for samples with high dissolved organic contents that would interfere with cavity ring own analysis.Next year we will be adding instrumentation for clumped isotope analyses of carbonates and triple oxygen isotopes, as well as a second IRMS.

Texas Water Research InstituteThe Texas Water Resources Institute (TWRI) and the Texas A&M Institute of Renewable Natural Resources (IRNR) work together to foster and communicate research and educational outreach programs focused on water and natural resources science and management issues in Texas and beyond.

Established in 1952, the Texas Water Resources Institute (TWRI) was designated as the state’s official water resources institute in 1964 by the Texas Legislature and Texas Governor as a result of the Water Resources Research Act.Today, we are one of 54 institutes in the National Institutes for Water Resources, supported by the U.S. Geological Survey. The TWRI focuses on restoration, conservation, and education.

Facilities from other TAMU Departments used by Civil Engineering Faculty:Borlaug InstituteBuilding on the legacy of its namesake, the Norman Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture at Texas A&M University employs agricultural science to feed the world's hungry, and to support equity, economic growth, quality of life, and mutual respect among peoples. The Borlaug Institute develops and coordinates sustainable projects in international development that integrate research, training and education to benefit the peoples of developing countries across the globe. The Institute works with university faculty, students, outside experts, and myriad organizations in its development work around the world.

Bush School/ Institute for Science, Technology, and Public PolicyThe Institute for Science, Technology, and Public Policy (ISTPP) pursues a dual mission:

● the scholarly examination of public policy issues● the communication of research-based knowledge to decision makers and the public

Laboratory for Embedded and Networked Sensor SystemsLead: Radu Stoleru, Computer Science and Engineering.The Laboratory for Embedded & Networked Sensor Systems at Texas A&M University performs research in wireless adhoc and sensor network protocols, architectures and applications. We currently focus on: distributed coordination algorithms such as localization, time synchronization, clustering, and topology control; QoS in sensor networks; failure resilience and fault isolation; energy management; cognitive multichannel MAC protocols; and wireless security.

Laboratory for Synthetic BiologyThe Laboratory for Synthetic-Biologic Interactions (LSBI) is a research facility housed in the Department of Chemistry. The LSBI is designed to be a multi-user laboratory supporting major research initiatives within the Chemistry Department, the university and extending to the broader academic and industrial scientific communities. Five instruments are currently available on a fee-for-use basis, and others may be made available on case-by-case considerations. Over time, we will be bringing additional instrumentation online for training and usage by the campus research facility. As this occurs, rates and instruments will become available through this site, including the FOM online instrument booking software.The following instruments are currently available on a fee-for-use basis:

Mettler Toledo TT-DMA Shimadzu IR Prestige Attenuated Total Reflectance Fourier Transform Infrared (ATR-

FTIR) Spectrometer Biolin q-Sense QCM-D DelsaNano C DLS Full Spectral Confocal Microscope

Marine Dynamics LabLead: Jeffrey Falzarano, Ocean Engineering. The Texas A&M Ocean Engineering Department’s Marine Dynamics Laboratory is a research group organized to investigate the various problems and issues associated with the nonlinear and stochastic dynamics of ships and floating offshore platforms. The primary focus has been the development of an integrated design environment to simulate the large amplitude motions and stability of both ships and floating offshore platforms. Both government and commercial projects have been used to support the development of analysis tools to determine wave loads and motion response in realistic METOCEAN conditions. The tools are all generally based upon the frequency domain potential flow wave structure interaction computer code MDL HydroD. This computer program is a three dimensional panel code able to calculate first and second order wave loads and motion response at zero and forward speed in deep and shallow water. A related computer program SYMDYN uses the frequency domain hydrodynamics from MDL HydroD and then calculates the nonlinear Froude-Krylov and Hydrostatics loads and simulates the nonlinear vessel motions in time domain. Additional efforts include multi-body and irregular frequency removal and steady wave resistance using nonlinear Rankine source method and linear Neuman-Kelvin approaches. Currently the group is also developing a system identification tool to predict hydrodynamic coefficients form experimental test data and can be utilized to improve

the predictions from numerical simulations. Finally a significant amount of effort has also been devoted to long term probabilistic prediction of design wave loads and stochastic dynamics.

Protein Chemistry Lab (PCL) Director: Larry Dangott, Department of Biochemistry and BiophysicsThe Protein Chemistry Laboratory is a core resource facility created and partially funded under the auspices of the Office of the Vice President for Research of Texas A&M University.

Automated Edman Protein Sequence AnalysisAutomated Edman chemistry is performed on an Applied Biosystems 492 Procise Protein Sequencer. The Procise is a complete, automated chemistry and analytical system for amino acid sequence analysis of protein and peptide samples in picomole to nanomole amounts.The Procise 492 Protein Sequencer performs automated Edman sequencing chemistry on a Biobrene-coated Glass Fiber Filter (for liquid samples) or on proteins blotted to PVDF after PAGE separation. Sensitivity is in the low pmol range.

Amino Acid AnalysisAmino acid analysis is performed using the old Hewlett Packard AminoQuant method adapted to a newer system. The system consists of a Agilent 1260 liquid chromatograph that is equipped with a programmable autosampler for automated sample handling, derivatization and injection, a variable wavelength UV detector for low-moderate sensitivity (Agilent G1365D) analyses and an in-line Agilent G1321B fluorescence detector for high-sensitivity analyses (fluorescent detection). All system control and data analysis is performed by Agilent Chemstation software. Liquid and vapor phase hydrolysis protocols have been developed in order to service a wide range of sample types (liquid, dried and electroblotted proteins on membranes). We offer routine validated (qualitative and quantitative) amino acid compositions of purified proteins and synthetic peptides as well as (quantitative ) free-amino acid (or total amino acid) compositions of feeds, flours and physiological fluids. Hydrolyzed proteins samples and free amino acids are derivatized pre-column with o-phthalaldehyde (OPA) and 9-fluoromethyl-chloroformate (FMOC) prior to separation and quantitation by reverse phase HPLC. Sensitivity is in the picomole to nanomole range depending upon sample matrix contributions.

Protein Gel Electrophoresis and ElectroblottingElectrophoresis has been a valuable method of protein analysis for decades. In recent years, the increased sensitivity of automated sequencers and analyzers has enabled the use of electrophoretic separation techniques to be used as preparative methods for subsequent stages of high-sensitivity protein analysis. The Laboratory is fully equipped to perform a variety of routine electrophoretic separations of proteins in polyacrylamide or agarose matrices. Sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide (SDS) and non-denaturing gels are available in standard and mini-gel format (linear and gradient format) as are 2-dimensional electrophoretic separations. Analytical isoelectric focusing (IEF) is performed on an Amersham Pharmacia Biotec IPGPhor electrophoresis module (first dimension) using immobilized pH gradients in polyacrylamide strips (DryStrips). The second dimension of resolution is obtained on a vertical slab gel electrophoresis unit equipped with an external re-circulating cooling device.Electroblotting of proteins to solid membrane supports has been used for many years in protocols used for immunodetection of antigens. Recent developments in membrane support technology have led to the production of high-capacity, chemically inert matrices that are resistant to N-

terminal sequencing chemistries. Proteins blotted to these matrices can be excised from a mixture of proteins and subjected directly to sequence analysis or preliminary manipulations such as direct In situ chemical or proteolytic cleavage with subsequent peptide extraction and purification. The Laboratory is equipped to perform electroblotting procedures as well as In situ or "in gel" digestion procedures as required to obtain sequence information and protein identity.

DALTSixThe DALTSix is a modular electrophoresis system for large format 2D gel electrophoresis. It can run up to 6 lab-cast or pre-cast gels (26 x 20 cm) simultaneously. It is used with 18 and 24 cm IPG DryStrips.

Typhoon Trio Fluorescent ImagerThe Typhoon Trio (GE Healthcare) is a high performance gel and blot imager. The imager has powerful laser excitation sources and high-quality confocal optics that allow for the sensitive detection of low-abundance targets. Red, Green and Blue excitation wavelengths (488 nm, 532 nm, 633 nm) and a wide choice of emission filters enable imaging of an extensive variety of fluorophores. The Trio is also useful for Storage Phosphor Autoradiography, Chemiluminescence and Chemifluorescence detection. (Client must have their own Phosphor screens. The PCL does not own any.) Please call ahead with specific questions. The instrument is used on a first-come, first-served basis, but reservations are recommended for analyses that will require extensive periods of time.

Ettan Robotic SystemsThe PCL houses three robotic systems for High-throughput Proteomics analysis; Ettan Spot Picker, Ettan Digester and the Ettan (MALDI plate) Spotter (GE Healthcare).Picker automatically picks selected protein spots from stained and unstained gels. It is designed for backed as well as unbacked gels. This instrument is seamless with our DeCyder 2-D Differential Analysis software.The Picker accurately picks protein spots from 2D gels and transfers them into 96 well microplates for further treatment.The Digester is a highly versatile instrument designed to perform in-gel digestion of proteins captured in 2D gel electrophoresis spots. Default digestion protocols can be customized. The instrument performs automatic tracking of samples.The Ettan Spotter is designed to automatically mix and spot digested proteins and matrix onto any MALDI sample plate.

High Pressure Liquid Chromatography Liquid chromatography is used extensively to purify proteins and peptides from mixtures of natural materials. The PCL has a stand-alone Hewlett Packard 1100 HPLC system is equipped with an autosampler and a diode array detector (DAD) for spectral analysis and is used for narrowbore, microbore and capillary LC peptide mapping and purification using reverse phase chromatographic techniques. This instrument is used in conjunction with the MALDI-TOF and Hewlett Packard G1005A Protein Sequencer to obtain internal protein sequence information from protein digests that can allow investigators to identify their proteins of interest and aid in the design of the appropriate probes for their isolation and, possible, cloning. An LC Packings Probot is attached to the HP1100 HPLC to aid in automated spotting of peptides to a sample plate for MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. In addition, the facility has a Pharmacia Acta Explorer 10 Protein Purification and a GE Healthcare AKTA Purifier system that are capable of running aqueous and organic mobile phases for native protein purification as well as peptide isolation. These instruments are being used to develop pilot protein purification protocols using

a library of columns that includes hydrophobic interaction, ion exchange, metal chelation and affinity matrices. In addition, the systems are used for Immuno-Depletion of contaminating proteins from physiological samples prior to Proteomic analysis.

MALDI-TOF Mass SpectrometerThe PCL has a Shimadzu/Kratos MALDI-TOF mass spectrometer equipped with delayed extraction and reflectron capabilities which is used for routine high mass accuracy analysis of peptides (<3 kDa). The instrument can also be operated in linear mode for protein analysis (>3 kDa).

Electrospray Mass SpectrometerWe are equipped with a ThermoFisher DecaXP ion trap mass spectrometer that is used for peptide mass measurements and fragmentation (de novo sequencing). Samples can be applied by direct infusion or after in-line reversed phase chromatographic separation. Automated search algorithms (Sequest and MASCOT) are available to perform database searches to aid in protein identification. This instrument is for peptide/protein analyses only.

Texas Center for Beaches and ShoresThe Center for Texas Beaches and Shores (CTBS) at Texas A&M University at Galveston was established in 1993 by the Texas Legislature to address beach erosion and wetlands loss throughout the state. We seek to become the gateway for research on coastal sustainability and resiliency.

This Center is dedicated to the conservation and protection of the Texas shoreline, bays and waterways through innovative research in cooperation with government and private sector agencies. Our focus is to develop comprehensive, holistic approaches to Texas coastal research and restoration solutions while incorporating natural, economic and political processes.

Vibration Control and Electromechanics LabDirector: Professor Alan Palazzolo, Mechanical Engineering Department, Research Areas: Energy Storage Flywheels, Rotordynamics, Vibrations, Finite Elements, Piping System Vibrations, Satellite Solar Panel Vibrations, VFD Machinery Train Torsional Vibrations, Boundary Elements, Energy Storage Flywheels, Electromechanical Systems, Magnetic Bearings, Rotating Machinery Seals and Impeller Flow Vibration, High Temperature and Aircraft Propulsion Motors, Fuel Injector Design ,Centrifuge Desalination