WKU News

The Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce sponsored a ribbon cutting (below) on Oct. 18 to celebrate the opening of the WKU NOVA Center featuring the Large Chamber Scanning Electron Microscope (LC-SEM). The Nondestructive Analysis (NOVA) Center, located at the Center for Research and Development on the corner of Nashville Road and Campbell Lane, positions WKU as a leader in nondestructive analysis testing.

U.S. Rep. Brett Guthrie (below) thanked those at WKU, in the community and in the state and federal governments who had the vision to make the NOVA Center and the Center for Research and Development a reality and provide opportunities for world class research in Bowling Green. The acquisition of the LC-SEM has positioned WKU as the only university in North America with an instrument of this type. The Center, Guthrie said, is no longer referred to as the old mall. “Most of us refer to it as a place that’s going to change southcentral Kentucky,” he said. Other speakers at the event included WKU Vice President for Research Gordon Baylis, General Motors Corvette Plant Manager Dave Tatman and NOVA Center Director Edward Kintzel. Dr. Baylis, Dr. Kintzel and Tatman said the NOVA Center will provide additional opportunities for collaborations and partnerships between WKU and business/industry.

The LC-SEM (below) performs scientific, microscopic analysis of extremely large samples, allowing for investigation of components without destroying them. Maximum sample size is 40 inches diameter by 40 inches tall, with a weight limit of 650 pounds. This allows it to easily hold a V-6 engine block. The LC-SEM has a magnification power of 100,000 times, which is 100 times that of a standard light microscope.

(WKU photos by Clinton Lewis; additional photos are posted on the WKU Facebook page)