The Hurley School of Science and Math places a major priority on providing state-of-the-art lab spaces for students. Our strategically designed labs offer hands-on experiences with a high level of instrumentation using innovative and modern equipment.
Science students have the advantage of receiving instruction from faculty who possess PhDs in their areas of discipline. We focus on inquiry-based labs that encourage students to learn by individually troubleshooting on varied equipment elements. These settings help develop critical thinking skills and expertise that provide a needed advantage for post-graduate work or the pursuit of other professions.
Cadaver Lab
Anatomy students learn human anatomy by dissecting both male and female cadavers, with very low exposure to preservatives. Students enjoy discovering new findings in science inside a lab with an air-handling system that vents fumes away from the dissection tables. Physiology students use Biopac systems to measure their own physiological parameters.
The use of cadaver lab offers students a unique and engaging level of learning human anatomy.
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance
OBU science majors characterize chemicals using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR). NMR uses a powerful magnet to analyze the structure of small molecules. This is the same technology that an MRI uses to scan the body.
Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy
Science majors learn to characterize chemicals using Atomic Absorption (AA) spectroscopy. The skill to run an AA spectrometer can be used in a wide variety of career fields, such as forensics, environmental science, and pharmacology.
Greenhouse
With access to a large greenhouse housing a variety of diverse plants, biology students have year-round access to plants from around the world. This setting offers a practical learning space with exposure to varied plant species and further depth of knowledge.
Cell Culture Lab
Students work together to grow mouse and human cells. Using a laminar flow hood and carbon dioxide incubator, students learn to manipulate cells in a clean environment, with techniques they can transfer straight into the research lab or use in a summer internship.
FTIR Spectrometer
Students in Organic Chemistry use an FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared) spectrometer to gather information about the structure of the sample chemical. FTIR spectrometers stimulate a sample with infrared light and then detect the molecular vibrations that result from that stimulation.
Paleontology Lab
Students have access to a large specimen collection made possible through decades of collection and generous donations from friends of OBU. Each spring, sophomore students put together their own insect collection to learn about the diversity in the created world and science’s work to understand that variety.
In OBU's Paleontology lab, students can learn to find, prepare, and display fossils. Each summer, students can travel to the Utt Trike Site in Montana to work to unearth a triceratops bone bed.
qPCR Machine
A qPCR machine can quantify the amount of a specific piece of RNA. Machines such as this were used in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic to identify SARS-CoV-2 infection. At OBU, students use this qPCR to compare RNA transcript quantities between samples.
Fluorescent Scope
A microscope can reveal the wonders of the world at the cellular level. By offering technology and equipment of this caliber, our students can stain cells with dyes that specifically attach to cellular structures such as the nucleus. Students then examine those structures carefully and specifically using a fluorescent microscope.
Planetarium
Inside OBU's planetarium, earth science students can experience the night sky in any location in the world at any time in history. Across the expanse of the facility, students can learn to find stars in the nighttime sky. This unique and intriguing learning space opens enriching opportunities for research, growth and discovery.
OBU is committed to providing cutting-edge equipment, resources and learning opportunities that prepare you for the vast number of vital careers in the realm of science. Our world-class faculty, curriculum and commitment to excellence will propel you forward as your research, explore and make discoveries in the world of science.