MRI-R2: Acquisition of a High Resolution CT-Scanner at the American Museum of Natural History

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Landman0959384This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).This MRI-R2 award will provide funding for a high resolution CT scanner (HRCT) for the American Museum of Natural History. The new acquisition will assist research for over 20 AMNH researchers spanning a wide range of disciplines. The new facility will support educational outreach in the greater NYC area as well supporting Columbia, Cornell and other neighboring institutions. The extensive AMNH collection will be a major focus for imaging. The scanner will be instrumental in determining organismal systematics, morphology, and life histories. It will also be used for terrestrial Earth and planetary system science. Out-sourcing CT analyses has become burdensome to the institution and does not allow training the next generation of CT analysts. The CT system will allow investigators to better decipher organismal morphological characteristics giving the ability to reconstruct lineages over geologic time. The system will allow non-invasive imaging of the unique collection available at AMNH. The Divisions of Paleontology, Invertebrate Zoology, Anthropology, Earth and Planetary Sciences and the Natural Sciences Collections will all be supported by the new system. The CT system will have tremendous educational and societal benefits. AMNH has partnerships with adjacent undergraduate colleges (many of which serve minorities and women), a viable REU program in biology and physical sciences, and a relatively new PhD program. AMNH has over 4 million visitors annually serving K-12 outreach. The research group actively publishes research results in the peer-reviewed literature and provides web outreach. The system will be housed in the AMNH Microscopy and Imaging Facility (MIF). The facility is managed by a full-time employee and supervised by the co-I. A committee of six curators chaired by the PI provides operational oversight and guidance. A service contract is requested for the initial grant period - after which the institution will continue the contract. Training will be provided to full-time technicians who will, in turn, train users. ***