Dr. Eleonora Del Frederico has pioneered the use of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) in art conservation to understand pigments, degradation products, and pigment-binder interactions. She has worked with colleagues at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York University, and the Brooklyn Museum of Art who are eager to have her extend her evaluation techniques and use them to evaluate and help them conserve art works in New York-based collections. She has built connections with conservation scientists in the United States and Europe. Using an array of practical art conservation problems and techniques, Dr. Del Frederico has engaged Pratt Institute undergraduates in the study of science and as assistants in her research. Several of her students have gone on to pursue graduate work and careers in conservation science. This grant supports the purchase of a newly available piece of equipment, a hand-held NMR-MOUSE (Mobile Universal Surface Explorer) that will allow Dr. Del Frederico to extend the scope of her research and to build an engaging undergraduate science program around her research program. The equipment will reside part-time at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which has agreed to cover maintenance costs. Pratt will provide funding for a computer and needed software, for student assistant stipends, guest lectures and conference travel, and will also provide some additional time for course revision and preparation of appropriate laboratory experiments. Project Director: Eleonora Del Federico, Associate Professor - Physics, Department of Mathematics and Science; Research Affiliate, Chemistry Department, New York University.