Acquisition of a Scanning Electron Microscope for Research and Training in the Biology, Chemistry, Geography-Geology, and Physics programs at Illinois State University

伊利诺伊州立大学获得了一笔赠款，用于购买环境扫描电子显微镜，用于生物、化学、地理-地质学和物理项目的研究和培训。该显微镜提供了观察不同样品的精细细节和分析其元素组成的能力。在环境模式下，无需准备即可检查活的有机体。这使得观察传统制备方法可能改变的精致标本成为可能。教师和学生在研究项目中使用该范围，包括记录植物的生理应激；识别作为过去环境条件指标的单细胞藻类；表征变异的果蝇；使用元素分析来评估钒元素的配位络合物的化学；表征纳米球；记录有缺陷的细胞扩张的植物的表面结构；检查细菌与宿主的相互作用和细菌生物膜的结构，评估化石中的地球化学相互作用；对热电晶格进行纳米尺度的测量，比较花的结构和发育，评估锂钴氧化物的合成；以及表征正在为改进的扫描探针显微镜开发的新电极的材料组成。这些不同研究的结果将发表在同行评议的期刊上，并酌情整合到课程和教师网站上。远程控制显微镜操作的软件将允许学生在教室里远程观察标本。该范围将在各种社区外展活动中展示，并将提供给伊利诺伊州中部的其他学术研究人员。

Illinois State University has been awarded a grant to acquire an environmental scanning electron microscope for research and training in the Biology, Chemistry, Geography-Geology, and Physics programs. The microscope provides capabilities for observation of fine details of diverse specimens and for analysis of their elemental composition. In environmental mode, living organisms can be examined with no preparation. This makes it possible to observe delicate specimens that would be altered by conventional preparation methods. Faculty and students use the scope in research projects that include documenting physiological stress in plants; identifying single-celled algae that are indicators of past environmental conditions; characterizing mutant fruit flies; using elemental analysis to assess the chemistry of coordination complexes of the element vanadium; characterizing nanospheres; documenting surface structures in plants with defective cell expansion; examining structure of bacteria-host interactions and bacterial biofilms, evaluating geochemical interactions in fossils, making nanoscale measurements of thermoelectric lattices, comparing flower structure and development, evaluating synthesis of lithium cobalt oxide; and characterizing the material composition of new electrodes being developed for an improved scanning probe microscope. The results of these diverse studies will be published in peer-reviewed journals and integrated into courses and faculty websites as appropriate. Software for remote control operation of the scope will allow students in classrooms to observe specimens remotely. The scope will be featured at various community outreach events, and it will be available to other academic researchers in central Illinois.