Acquisition of Gas Chromatography Equipment for Research in Microbiology and River Ecology at Three Undergraduate Institutions

国家科学基金会授予国王学院微生物学实验室设备，这些设备将用于当地三所大学的本科生研究。国王学院的David Glick博士和Brian Mangan博士将与斯克兰顿大学的Michael Sulzinski博士和Wilkes大学的Kenneth Pidcock博士共享安装在King‘s的一套新的气相色谱系统。这笔赠款将证明，共用设备可以促进三所高等教育机构的微生物学本科生和四名高技能教研员之间的研究和教育一体化。两台配备计算机和特殊软件的气相色谱仪将促进两个领域的新研究。独立但相关的研究将通过这三个机构的实验室研究识别和分析细菌、真菌和鱼类中的脂类(脂肪)。其他研究将侧重于Susquehanna河生态，分析环境污染物多氯联苯(PCBs)对鱼类的影响，以及酸性矿山废水对河流细菌和真菌丰度和多样性的影响。其中一台气相色谱仪将专门用于分析从细菌和真菌中提取的脂肪。一旦完成了脂肪分析，提供的计算机软件将允许识别特定的细菌或真菌。另一台气相色谱仪将专门用于分析一种重要的环境污染物，即多氯联苯。这第二种仪器还将被用来检查混合物中哪些化学物质会被细菌降解。在获得NSF拨款之前，宾夕法尼亚州东北部没有一所高等教育机构拥有为研究配置的气相色谱系统，以根据微生物的脂肪酸分布来识别和分析微生物。这项研究也具有基础性的科学意义。它将为土壤和河流细菌和真菌的生态提供新的见解，并增加我们对多氯联苯污染对鱼类生命周期的影响的知识。这一重要设备的购置将加强三所高校本科教育、研究和科研培训的一体化。

A National Science Foundation grant has been awarded to King's College for microbiology laboratory equipment that will be used in undergraduate research at three local colleges. David Glick, Ph.D. and Brian Mangan, Ph.D. of King's College will share a new gas chromatography system installed at King's with Michael Sulzinski, Ph.D. of the University of Scranton and Kenneth Pidcock, Ph.D. of Wilkes University. The grant will demonstrate that shared use of equipment can foster the integration of research and education among undergraduate microbiology students and four highly skilled faculty investigators at three institutions of higher education.Two gas chromatographs configured with a computer and special software will facilitate new research in two areas. Separate, but related, research will identify and analyze lipids (fats) in bacteria, fungi, and fish through laboratory studies at the three institutions. Additional research will focus on Susquehanna River ecology, analyzing the effect of the environmental contaminant, polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB), on fish, and the effect of acid mine drainage on the abundance and diversity of river bacteria and fungi. One of the gas chromatographs will be dedicated to analyzing lipids (fats) extracted from bacteria and fungi. Once the lipid analysis has been done, the computer software supplied will allow the identification of the particular bacteria or fungus. The other gas chromatograph will be dedicated to the analysis of an important environmental contaminant known as PCB (Polychlorinated Biphenyl). This second instrument will also be used to examine which chemicals, in a mix, bacteria degrade.Prior to this NSF grant award, no institution of higher education in northeastern Pennsylvania possessed a gas chromatography system configured for research to identify and analyze microbes by their fatty acid profile. The research also has basic scientific importance. It will provide new insights into the ecology of soil and river bacteria and fungi as well as increasing our knowledge of the impact of PCB contamination on the life cycles of fish. The acquisition of this important equipment will strengthen the integration of undergraduate education, research and research training at all three institutions of higher education.