Cell Culture Laboratories
Located at: Science Center119 Woodland Street, Oberlin, OH 44074
Two labs are available for work in neuroscience and immunology. They have clean benches equipped with hoods that minimize the risk for contamination of cell lines. These labs are also equipped with flow cytometers for measuring changes in cell lines and storage for preserving samples at very low temperatures.
Confocal Microscope
Located at: Science Center119 Woodland Street, Oberlin, OH 44074
Housed in a specially designed room of the Science Center, Oberlin's confocal microscope provides remarkable cellular detail and resolution; it also produces three-dimensional images that can be rotated and viewed from different angles. The equipment, used primarily by faculty and students in neuroscience and biology, was purchased through a grant from the National Science Foundation.
Electrophysiology Suite
Located at: Science Center Room: Room_ID1119 Woodland Street, Oberlin, OH 44074
This lab enables neuroscience students and faculty to work with nerve cells. Six air tables that eliminate vibrations and electrical interference allow for accurate measurement of the electrical activity of a single cell.
NMR Spectrometers
Located at: Science Center119 Woodland Street, Oberlin, OH 44074
A 600-MHz nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometer allows faculty members and students to study the composition and structure of organic compounds in both solution and the solid state. Oberlin is the only undergraduate liberal arts college to have an NMR spectrometer of this caliber. It was purchased with the assistance of a grant from the National Science Foundation. The instrument room also contains a 400-MHz NMR spectrometer, installed in 2007, which is used for routine molecular characterization by students engaged in research and by various science courses.
Oberlin Community Music School
Located at: Burrell-King House315 East College St., Oberlin, OH 44074-1097
The Oberlin Community Music School offers high-quality, pre-collegiate instruction in strings, piano, winds, percussion, and voice, as well as theory and composition. In addition to private lessons, group programs include Piano Lab, MusicPlay (ages 3 to 5), and the String Preparatory Program. The school is located in the Burrell-King House, an historic landmark and Greek Revival structure renovated through a grant from the Nord Family Foundation.
Science Center
Located at: Science Center119 Woodland Street, Oberlin, OH 44074
This modern, integrated complex houses the biology, chemistry, physics and astronomy, and neuroscience departments, as well as the Science Library. Its design promotes maximum collaboration among the science disciplines, as well as between students and faculty mentors. The center is equipped with NMR spectrometers, vacuum deposition chambers, flow cytometers, a confocal microscope, and more. Completed in 2002, the Science Center incorporates technology into classrooms and laboratories, and hands-on research into every student's science education.
Science Library
Located at: Science Center119 Woodland Street, Oberlin, OH 44074
In 2001, the college opened a spacious library within the Science Center devoted to astronomy, biochemistry, biology, botany, chemistry, geology, neuroscience, physics, and zoology. Also well represented are materials in agriculture, medicine, technology, science education, and the history and philosophy of science.
Supercomputer
Located at: Science Center119 Woodland Street, Oberlin, OH 44074
Oberlin is among the first liberal arts colleges in the nation to provide undergraduates with access to a supercomputer that can process gigantic data sets. Purchased in 2005 through a grant from the National Science Foundation, Oberlin's supercomputer has 70 dual, 64-bit nodes - each with 8 gigabytes of RAM, a gigabit ethernet switch, and a 10-terabyte file server. In addition to its applications in chemistry, physics, astrophysics, and computational biology, the computer provided momentum for an interdisciplinary initiative, the Oberlin Center for Computation and Modeling.
Wright Lecture Hall
Located at: Wright Laboratory of Physics Room: W 201110 North Professor St., Oberlin, OH 44074-1097
Located in the physics department, this hall seats 75. Extensive renovations were done when the Science Center was constructed.
