Walsh University partnership with Shimadzu offers opportunity for students
NORTH CANTON – An assortment of analytical equipment is in place and ready at Walsh University's chemistry labs to offer students a real-life learning experience.
The machines also could benefit local companies that need material analyzed, but don't have the equipment to conduct the tests.
"We launch Walsh University onto the world stage," university President Tim Collins said this week during the formal dedication of the SPARQ Center for Analytical Excellence Laboratory in the St. John Paul II Center for Science Innovation.
Shimadzu Scientific Instruments helped Walsh acquire the equipment, valued at nearly $1.2 million, while the Timken Foundation built the platform that helped the university establish the lab.
The university qualified for the Shimadzu Partnership Academics, Research and Quality of Life program, known as SPARQ. The program is designed to build long-term relationships between Shimadzu, based in Kyoto, Japan, and universities around the United States.
Walsh joins several larger universities around the country that are participating in the program. The company also has grant programs with individual university professors. All together the Shimadzu is working with individuals or departments at 70 universities in the United States.
The SPARQ program is part of Shimadzu's corporate philosophy, said Yoshiaki Maeda, president of the company's U.S. operations, which are based in Maryland. Walsh was selected because it meets the company's philosophy of contributing to society, Maeda said.
With the equipment and program in place, Walsh and Shimadzu will determine the next steps to take, said Patrick Fromal, senior vice president for sales and marketing in Shimadzu's U.S. operation.
"We all want this to go to another level," Fromal said.
Shimadzu will provide technical assistance with the equipment, working with students and faculty. There also will be opportunities for students to gain experience with the company and its customers.
Collins said the program is part of efforts to better prepare and improve the American workforce.
No other university in the region has the new equipment. Walsh will be able to offer state-of-the-art training for students who will be moving into a state-of-the-art economy, Collins said.
The laboratory helps Walsh provide better science, technology, engineering and math training for students, Collins said. The STEM programs are at the foundation of a liberal arts education, he said.
"Teach students how to think, and not what to think," Collins said.
The generosity of Shimadzu, the Timken Foundation and other area donors will change the lives of Walsh students, added A.J. Hyland, chairman of Walsh's board.
The equipment in the SPARQ Center for Analytical Excellence Laboratory places Walsh among the region's leading universities of its size with the ability to perform analytical chemistry. Plans are for the center to be available for collaborative projects with businesses in the area that need samples analyzed but don't have financing for equipment.
Shimadzu provided a range of machines, including liquid and gas chromatography instruments for analyzing volatile and non-volatile organic compounds, an inductively coupled plasma instrument for metals analysis, and equipment for a materials analysis lab.
Walsh and Shimadzu representatives had discussed the SPARQ program for several years, before the university formally applied. It was a competitive process.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Walsh University partnership with Shimadzu offers students opportunity
