- Posted in All University
- Category: Campus News
The university’s College of Science and Technology received about $100,000 in donated biomedical supplies and equipment from EMSCO Scientific Enterprises, Inc., a Philadelphia-based, minority-owned and operated laboratory supply and equipment company, on February 17.
The 37-year-old company, which was founded by an African American woman and sold to four African American men, Lin Thomas, Ken Carter, Derrick Suswell and Ismail Shahid, two years ago, offers a portfolio of organic and inorganic chemicals and products to the scientific community.
Alfayo Michira, a chemical hygiene officer and lab manager for the chemistry and physics department surveys the donations.
Patrick M. Oates, senior vice president of strategic planning & business development for the company, who said he has a connection to Lincoln because of family members who attend and have attended, and HBCUs in general, thought the equipment and supplies might be useful to the college for student and training purposes so he contacted the university.
“I kinda grew up on this campus coming to homecomings and such so I have an affinity to Lincoln,” said Oates, whose grandfather, Urias Oates, and father, Milton U. Oates, respectively are 1932 and 1952 Lincoln graduates and his niece and nephew currently attend. “We (the company) were literally going to throw it (the supplies and equipment) in the trash. All this is brand new equipment and products. It can’t be used in biomedical research anymore because it is more than three years old. It may skew data because the flasks, petri dishes and other supplies are treated.”
Oates, who attended Tuskegee University for undergraduate studies, received his doctorate degree from Howard University.
From left to right: Larry Shannon, interim dean of the College of Science and Technology; Robert Langley, interim chair and professor, Chemistry and Physics department; Patrick M. Oates, senior vice president, strategic planning & business development, EMSCO Scientific, Inc., and EMSCO truck driver Vernon Chiles stand in front of truckload of donated biomedical supplies and equipment.
Among the donated items were glassware and plastic consumables, including flasks, petri dishes, graduated cylinders and more that are used for biomedical research.
Chemistry and Physics department Interim Chair Robert Langley, who was on hand to receive the donation with Interim Dean Larry Shannon, was elated.
“I think it’s an absolutely great donation,” said Langley, who explained that the expired equipment was still suitable for the university’s uses and for training purposes. “It saves the university a lot of money and gives the students the opportunity to do more productive research.”
Article and Photos By Eric Christopher Webb ’91, Director, Office of Communications and Public Relations