St. Cloud State University will receive $120,000 in state funds to buy equipment for the future Integrated Science and Engineering Laboratory Facility (ISELF). St. Cloud State will use the money to purchase an X-ray Diffractometer valued over $365,000.The new equipment will help students and faculty learn more about X-ray diffraction techniques.

SCSU’s administration says it will not use tuition money to pay the remaining cost of the diffractometer.They plan to raise $140,000 and receive $105,000 in vendor discounts to cover the rest of the costs.

The $45-million dollar ISELF building is expected to be complete in 2013. The 100,000 square foot building will be the “crown jewel” of St. Cloud State’s three-part Science Initiative. The initiative already completed renovations to the Robert H. Wick Science Building and Brown Hall.

X-ray diffraction is a fundamental technique used to study the structure and properties of materials.