Make a Gift: CES Autoclave

Our faithful autoclave has sterilized beakers, petri dishes, and lab tools for countless experiments over many years. It’s been the quiet hero of our biology labs—but it’s showing its age, and it’s time for a well-earned retirement.

This equipment has supported amazing student discoveries. In 2015, a freshman in our Intro to Biology course collected a soil sample from Chesterfield, Michigan, and discovered a new bacteriophage—Fred313. With help from classmates and faculty, its genome was mapped and published. Years later, Fred313 became part of breakthrough phage therapy research and was used in 2022 to help save a patient’s life.

None of this would be possible without reliable lab tools. The autoclave is essential for student research in programs like SEA PHAGES, SEA GENES, and faculty projects in bacterial genomics, cancer biology, and virology.

A new autoclave will give students hands-on experience with professional-level equipment, improve research outcomes, and prepare them for science and engineering careers. Your gift—of any size—will help empower students and keep discoveries like Fred313 changing the world.