By: Rachael Hirstein
NSU is a predominately science-centered university, and yet, the labs here are not up to par.
As a biology major, I spend about six hours a week in the lab for chemistry and biology, so I expected to have top notch labs, only to be disappointed. The rooms and materials were not the quality I had hoped for and do not live up to my expectations.
The rooms, specifically in the Parker Annex, are insufficient when it comes to performing any sort of lab. The space is tight and cramped with 15 students and large stools in the way, and this makes handling chemicals and heated glass extremely difficult and dangerous. Students are in danger of bumping into each other, shattering glass and spilling acids on themselves or each other.
In my biology lab, the materials needed for the labs were almost always low in quantity, so the labs could not be completed efficiently and they had to be modified. The machines and materials used for the labs, like the crucibles and scales, were also old and not in proper shape to be used proficiently.
I had difficulty carefully lifting a heated crucible lid with the crucible tongs because they had no grip on the lid, and the lid slipped and shattered. I was informed by my teaching assistant and professor that there were no more lids in the lab to replace the broken one. This meant my lab partner and I would have to use another group’s data because we could not complete the lab accurately.
It was ridiculous that there was not a single replacement lid considering how many students use the labs on a daily basis. Lab materials should be bought in abundance in case of accidents or damages.
The scales in both the Parker labs and Parker Annex labs are either missing glass slides or are inaccurate, causing inaccuracy in the data. The Bunsen burner starters do not efficiently light the burners because they are so old, and my fellow classmates have to wait on each other to use one of the few good starters just to be able to start the lab.
NSU prides itself on education and its science department, so the maintenance and funding of the labs should be considered more carefully so that science majors can receive the appropriate hands-on experience and education they seek and deserve.
