An Integrated and Networked Microscopy Center for Undergraduate Education

本科教育集成网络显微镜中心

• 批准号: 9650654
• 负责人: Joseph Koke
• 金额: $ 10万
• 依托单位: Texas State University - San Marcos
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 1996
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1996-07-15 至 1998-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=9650654&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Integrated; Networked; Microscopy; Center; Undergraduate

This project concentrates on the formation of an integrated microscopy facility (IMF) in the Biology Department. The IMF supports laboratory exercises at all levels in the curriculum (freshman to graduate). The exercises are experimental in nature and can foster analytical thinking skills through students' collaborative analysis of data. Some of these students will graduate to become teachers. Southwest Texas State University produces more than 2,000 elementary and secondary school teachers each year, including 30-35 certified to teach biology. In addition, an outreach program with area high schools is being established. Therefore, project plans have emphasized adding a laser scanning confocal microscope (LSCM) to the existing transmission electron and light microscopes to form a state-of-the-art microscopy facility. An LSCM is essential to this plan because of the nature of the images that it can provide and because of its networking capability. Imaging is computer controlled and displayed. Digitization of images permits each student to collect images from their specimens and later retrieve the images using a computer at a site remote from the IMF. Widespread use of the proposed IMF is possible because the LSCM includes a UNIX-based computer that can be fully networked. Networking with hardware already in place permits images from the IMF to be accessed from all over campus and from all over the world. Thus any teaching lab with a workstation (consisting of any modern PC or Mac) can access the IMF. Accessible images include those from all the microscopes in the IMF, as the LSCM computer can also be used to acquire and store images from these sources. The IMF allows students access to high technology in a familiar, computer environment. The LSCM provides technology that makes remote access to image files by students possible. Implementation of the objectives of this project can markedly increase the level of science education in biology and provide a model program for other universities to emulate.

该项目的重点是在生物系建立一个综合显微镜设施（IMF）。基金组织支持课程中各个级别（新生到研究生）的实验室练习。这些练习本质上是实验性的，可以通过学生对数据的协作分析来培养分析思维能力。其中一些学生毕业后将成为教师。 西南德克萨斯州立大学每年培养超过 2,000 名中小学教师，其中包括 30-35 名经过认证的生物学教师。 此外，正在制定与地区高中的外展计划。因此，项目计划强调在现有的透射电子显微镜和光学显微镜的基础上增加激光扫描共焦显微镜（LSCM），以形成最先进的显微镜设施。 LSCM 对于该计划至关重要，因为它可以提供图像的性质以及其网络功能。成像由计算机控制和显示。图像数字化允许每个学生从他们的标本中收集图像，然后使用远离 IMF 的计算机检索图像。所提出的 IMF 的广泛使用是可能的，因为 LSCM 包括一台可以完全联网的基于 UNIX 的计算机。已经到位的硬件网络允许从整个校园和世界各地访问国际货币基金组织的图像。因此，任何拥有工作站（由任何现代 PC 或 Mac 组成）的教学实验室都可以访问 IMF。可访问的图像包括来自 IMF 中所有显微镜的图像，因为 LSCM 计算机也可用于从这些来源获取和存储图像。 IMF 允许学生在熟悉的计算机环境中接触高科技。 LSCM 提供的技术使学生可以远程访问图像文件。该项目目标的实现，可显着提高生物学科学教育水平，为其他高校效仿提供示范。