Vol. 29 No. 4 - Feb 9, 2026
The Physical Sciences Department recently received two precision analytical tools with a combined value of approximately $15,000.
Students and faculty members conducting research can now make use of either an Ohaus analytical balance – with a draft shield – or an Ohaus explorer balance, valued at $10,000 and $5,000 respectively. These balances are highly calibrated and can measure the weight of a human hair. To show how precise the balances are, a person could dip a cotton ball in alcohol, place it on the balance and watch the mass decrease in real time as the alcohol evaporates.
The gift comes from John Cross, a retired machinist originally from upstate New York who has been living in Kirksville since 2017. Cross has always had an interest in precision engineering. In recent years, he primarily used the balances as a hobby, and he chose to donate them to Truman because he knows they will be used to educate students.
“I wanted to donate them to someone who could use them,” Cross said. “There are a lot of people over at Truman who could use them. There are a lot of brains over there. I feel fortunate if I can give them something that they can use.”
While Truman already owns similar pieces of equipment, this donation will increase accessibility for students. These balances will be housed in a chemistry lab space. The high-precision balance will be used most commonly in analytical, physical and biochemistry courses, while the other balance could be used across the entire lab curriculum.
Brain Lamp, right, and Tim Walston, center, accept a donation of two precision balances from John Cross.