{"id":14206,"date":"2026-09-25T09:24:55","date_gmt":"2026-09-25T14:24:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/?post_type=campus_story&p=14206"},"modified":"2026-09-25T09:24:55","modified_gmt":"2026-09-25T14:24:55","slug":"student-philanthropy-helps-modernize-uw-parkside-organic-chemistry-labs","status":"publish","type":"campus_story","link":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/story\/student-philanthropy-helps-modernize-uw-parkside-organic-chemistry-labs\/","title":{"rendered":"Student philanthropy helps modernize UW-Parkside organic chemistry labs"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Photo:<\/a>
A donation made by Blake Callahan through the Blake Callahan Foundation funded the purchase of two new Buchi R-80 rotary evaporation systems for the Organic Chemistry student laboratory at UW-Parkside. (UW-Parkside)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

KENOSHA, Wis.<\/strong> \u2013 A gift from a current University of Wisconsin\u2013Parkside student is helping transform the learning experience for future generations of chemistry students by bringing modern laboratory equipment into the university\u2019s organic chemistry program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The donation, made by Blake Callahan through the Blake Callahan Foundation<\/strong>, funded the purchase of two new Buchi R-80 rotary evaporation systems for the Organic Chemistry student laboratory. The new equipment comes complete with programmable water baths, vacuum pumps, and chillers, improving the quality of the student experience and training in the field of organic chemistry synthesis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Blake, his donation was motivated by a desire to help create opportunities for others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGiving back to Parkside and the chemistry lab is important to me because I attended a different out-of-state public university my freshman year,\u201d Blake said. \u201cThere, I experienced lab facilities that were well maintained and continuously upgraded due to alumni support and a large endowment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After transferring to Parkside, Callahan recognized the dedication of faculty members who work to provide high-quality educational experiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI have been part of a culture where faculty work hard supporting students despite not having access to new equipment or the most advanced facilities,\u201d Blake said. \u201cI think our students and faculty deserve more, and in a small way, I felt I could support.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blake hopes the gift will also encourage philanthropy among alumni, and community members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt should feel good when you\u2019re able to do something for others, not for recognition, but because it\u2019s the right thing to do,\u201d he said. \u201cI think it can be a little awkward as a current student to give philanthropically, but I do hope in doing so it may lead others in the community or other alumni to do so.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blake\u2019s generous donation was deeply inspired by family values, \u201cMy parents raised and encouraged me to participate in projects that help support the community,\u201d he said. \u201cThey have always been big advocates for public education and UW\u2013Parkside.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new rotary evaporation systems will significantly enhance the department\u2019s organic chemistry curriculum, which emphasizes hands-on synthesis of various organic chemicals. Evaporation of solvents is an integral part of this experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPrior to this donation, steam baths were used instead,\u201d faculty noted. \u201cSteam baths are a technique that was used in the sixties. In modern laboratories, they have been phased out in favor of the rotary evaporator system.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new rotary evaporators will allow for faster and higher quality procedures for professional chemists as well as our students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The investment comes at an exciting time for the Chemistry Department as it continues efforts to modernize instructional spaces and provide students with cutting-edge learning experiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur chemistry department will soon modernize the organic chemistry teaching laboratories to contemporary working standards,\u201d faculty said. \u201cThe rotary evaporator systems will become one of the centerpieces of our new renovated space.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By investing in the tools that support hands-on learning, Blake\u2019s generosity will help ensure that Parkside chemistry students have access to modern training, and a practical laboratory experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To explore gift opportunities at UW-Parkside, please visit uwp.edu\/giving\/<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Written by UW-Parkside<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Link to original story: https:\/\/www.uwp.edu\/explore\/media\/student-philanthropy-helps-modernize-chemistry-labs\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

KENOSHA, Wis. \u2013 A gift from a current University of Wisconsin\u2013Parkside student is helping transform the learning experience for future generations of chemistry students by bringing modern laboratory equipment into the university\u2019s organic chemistry program. The donation, made by Blake Callahan through the Blake Callahan Foundation, funded the purchase of two new Buchi R-80 rotary […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":14207,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","institution":[105],"story_category":[150,146],"class_list":["post-14206","campus_story","type-campus_story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","institution-uw-parkside","story_category-featured","story_category-research-innovation"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campus_story\/14206","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campus_story"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/campus_story"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14206"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14207"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14206"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"institution","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/institution?post=14206"},{"taxonomy":"story_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/story_category?post=14206"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}