Doug Smith, director of campus safety, accepts the donated equipment from Dr. Todd Shatkin.
Daemen College has received a donation of equipment from local dentist Dr. Todd Shatkin for use in the college’s natural sciences laboratories, which are among the most widely used learning spaces on campus.
“We greatly appreciate Dr. Shatkin’s generous donation to our natural sciences department,” said Dr. Diane Ramos, chair and associate professor of natural sciences. “These materials are vital to Daemen providing the highest level of learning opportunities in natural sciences and will help our students develop skills in laboratory science that are incredibly important to the health of our society.”
The new equipment includes a biological safety hood, pipette materials, a vortex mixer, and other supplies regularly used in Daemen’s biochemistry, cellular biology, microbiology, and molecular biology labs. Through a collaboration with Daemen, the equipment was originally purchased by Shatkin to use with other lab resources available at the college to assist with COVID-19 testing in Erie County. However, due to strict testing guidelines, the equipment was unable to be used for this purpose.
“Given the enormity of this public health crisis, we applaud Dr. Shatkin for his efforts intended to assist our community during this time,” said Ramos. “His donation to Daemen will provide much needed resources in our science laboratory facilities that will greatly enhance the learning experience for our students.”