MRI: Acquisition of a Variable Pressure Scanning Electron Microscope at Washington and Lee University

这笔拨款支持为华盛顿和李大学购置一台可变压力扫描电子显微镜（SEM）。扫描电镜是一种强大的分析工具，可以对太小而无法用标准光学显微镜解决的材料进行详细分析。此外，新的扫描电镜将包括专门的设备，使半定量化学分析和表征矿物和其他材料的晶体取向。总之，这些最先进的工具将为推进重要的研究目标和培养下一代新兴科学家和工程专业人员提供必要的基础设施。该设备将很好地整合到华盛顿李大学的本科课程中，五个系至少有九门课程使用SEM。扫描电镜的具体研究应用包括地壳形变的量化、锆石晶体的裂变径迹定年、新型聚合物的表征、通过珊瑚的表征重建古气候和古环境、风化速率和景观演化的研究、艺术绘画中材料的化学分析、基于鱼耳石生长的生态研究。以及抗反射涂层的特性。华盛顿和李大学大力支持本科生的研究，学生将继续参与所有这些努力。

This grant supports the acquisition of a variable pressure scanning electron microscope (SEM) for Washington and Lee University. The SEM is a powerful analytical tool that enables detailed analysis of materials too small to be resolved with standard light microscopes. Furthermore, the new SEM will include specialized devices that enable semi-quantitative chemical analysis and the characterization of crystallographic orientation of minerals and other materials. Together, these state-of-the-art tools will provide essential infrastructure to advance important research objectives and prepare the next generation of emerging scientists and engineering professionals. The equipment will be well-integrated into the undergraduate curriculum at Washington and Lee University, with at least nine courses across five departments utilizing the SEM.Specific research applications made possible by the SEM include the quantification of deformation within the Earth's crust, fission-track dating of zircon crystals, the characterization of novel polymers, the reconstruction of paleoclimate and paleoenvironment through the characterization of corals, the study of weathering rates and landscape evolution, the chemical analysis of materials in art paintings, ecological studies based on fish otolith growth, and the characterization of anti-reflective coatings. Washington and Lee University strongly supports undergraduate research, and students will continue to be involved in all of these endeavors.