Acquisition of a Flow Cytometer for Cell Biology Research and Undergraduate Research Training

在David DeHeer博士的指导下，加尔文学院获得了一笔赠款，用于购买一台流式细胞仪，用于细胞生物学研究和本科生研究培训。流式细胞仪是一种精密的仪器，用于检测和测量单个活细胞中的特定分子，包括DNA。例如，研究人员使用该仪器来识别恶性细胞，即表达特定基因并因此表现出异常功能的细胞。流式细胞仪不仅可以每秒分析数千个细胞，而且还可以根据特定的功能或离散的遗传标记将它们分成不同的组。然后，这些种群可以被克隆并在实验室中进一步研究。在卡尔文学院，流式细胞仪将显著提高教师的研究能力。来自加尔文生物系的五名教员将在免疫学、泪腺基因表达、细菌入侵、DNA复制和修复以及基础神经科学等研究领域使用该仪器。流式细胞仪还将大大丰富本科生的研究训练，特别是有利于强调细胞和分子生物学的高级研究设计和方法课程。它还将用于教授细胞培养、免疫学和微生物学课程的实验室技能和分析方法。这种新仪器将产生更广泛的影响，而不仅仅是用于研究。(1)教师使用流式细胞仪模型向学生进行探究式学习，并使他们参与研究性科学的实践。(2)该仪器将促进学生合作，同时提供宝贵的先进技术实践经验。(3)它将在让大学生为研究生教育和实验室研究做好准备方面发挥战略作用，这是让年轻人为科学和工程社区以及美国劳动力做出重要贡献的关键一步。

A grant has been awarded to Calvin College under the direction of Dr. David DeHeer to purchase a flow cytometer for use in cell biology research and undergraduate research training. A flow cytometer is a sophisticated instrument for detecting and measuring specific molecules, including DNA, in individual living cells. For example, researchers use the instrument to identify malignant cells, cells that express specific genes and thereby exhibit abnormal functions. Not only can a flow cytometer analyze thousands of cells each second, but it can also separate them into groups with specific functions or discrete genetic markers. These populations then can be cloned and further studied in the laboratory.At Calvin College the flow cytometer will markedly enhance faculty research capabilities. Five faculty, all from Calvin's Biology Department, will use the instrument in research areas including immunology, lacrimal gland gene expression, bacterial invasion, DNA replication and repair, and basic neuroscience. The flow cytometer will also significantly enrich the research training of undergraduate students, benefiting in particular, upper-level research-design and methods courses that emphasize cell and molecular biology. It also will be used to teach laboratory skills and analytical methods in cell culture, immunology, and microbiology courses.The new instrument will have broader impacts beyond its use for research. (1) Faculty using the flow cytometer model inquiry-based learning to students and engage them in the practice of investigative science. (2) This instrument will foster student collaborations while providing valuable hands-on experience with advanced technology. (3) It will play a strategic role in preparing college students for graduate education and laboratory research, a key step in equipping young people to provide vital contributions to the scientific and engineering community, as well as to the US workforce.