MRI: Acquisition of a Scanning Electron Microscope with EDS

位于密西西比州克利夫兰的三角洲州立大学（DSU）生物和物理科学部获得了一个奖项。该奖项允许购买带有能量色散X射线系统（EDX）附件的扫描电子显微镜（SEM）。 获得SEM将促进有关生物，化学和环境科学在DSU的各种科学研究调查，并将由教授和学生使用。分类学研究包括：研究美国侏罗纪、白垩纪和第四纪地层的化石花粉和孢子的结构细节，寄生线虫的杆状带，旋毛虫线虫卵的表面图案，原生、入侵和归化物种的叶气孔和毛状体，这些物种推断出当地低地硬木森林正在减少的气候变化信息，并检查与合成纱线相比，绵羊毛与批量化学性质和质地相关的结构差异。其他项目基于环境推断，例如检查酵母的表面特征以了解真核细胞在pH和温度差异下的基因功能，分析培养细胞和肌肉组织样本中与肥胖有关的小窝，以及重金属和吸收的污染物的元素绘图，这些污染物发生在与农业和工业用地相关的当地棕地中，经济发展 使用SEM的差旅费将不再是一个问题，许多实验室经验将得到加强。获得SEM将有助于在DSU招聘和留住具有专业科学领域专业知识的教师。 教师将利用他们从扫描电镜获得的图片，他们在科学会议上，如美国地质学会，美国植物学会，东南生物学，等等。学生也将能够利用这个工具与本科科学学位相关的各种顶点项目。此外，该仪器将成为解剖学和生理学，寄生虫学，植物解剖学，环境化学，细胞生物学和生物学问题的常规课堂教学的一部分。因此，学生将获得宝贵的实践技能，这将增加他们进入研究生课程，医学院和其他学术追求的机会，并在科学领域获得就业机会。此外，来自密西西比三角洲社区学院、科阿莫尔社区学院、密西西比山谷大学和美国农业部农业研究站等邻近机构的教职员工将能够利用这一仪器。因此，整个密西西比三角洲将受益于这一收购和科学素养的这个社区将大大提高。

An award is made to the Division of Biological and Physical Sciences at Delta State University (DSU), in Cleveland, Mississippi. The award allows the purchase of a scanning electron microscope (SEM) with an energy dispersive x-ray system (EDX) attachment. Acquiring an SEM will facilitate diverse scientific research investigations pertaining to biology, chemistry, and environmental science at DSU and will be utilized by professors and students. Assorted projects include taxonomic studies such as studying structural details of fossil pollen and spores from Jurassic, Cretaceous, and Quaternary formations throughout the United States, bacillary bands of parasitic nematodes, surface patterns of trichinelloid nematode eggs, leaf stomata and trichomes of native, invasive and naturalized species that infer information on climate change with regards to the local bottomland hardwood forests that are diminishing, and examining structural differences that are correlated to bulk chemical properties and textures of sheep wool when compared to synthetic yarns. Other projects are based on environmental inferences such as examining surface features of yeast to understand gene function in eukaryotic cells when subjected to differences in pH and temperature, analyzing caveolae both in cultured cells and in muscle tissue samples that pertain to obesity, and elemental mapping of heavy metals and absorbed contaminants that occur in local brownfields associated with agricultural and industrial sites so they can be restored for economic development. Travel costs to utilize an SEM will no longer be an issue and many laboratory experiences will be enhanced. Obtaining an SEM will help recruit and retain faculty at DSU with expertise in specialized scientific areas. Faculty will utilize pictures they acquire from the SEM in presentations that they give at scientific meetings such as the Geological Society of America, Botanical Society of America, Southeastern Biology, and so forth. Students also will be able to utilize this instrument for various capstone projects that are associated with the undergraduate science degrees. Additionally, this instrument will be part of regular classroom curriculums in Anatomy and Physiology, Parasitology, Plant Anatomy, Environmental Chemistry, Cell Biology, and Problems in Biology. Students, therefore, will obtain valuable hands-on skills that will increase their admittance into graduate programs, medical schools, and other academic pursuits as well as become marketable in obtaining employment in scientific fields. In addition, faculty and staff from neighboring institutions such as Mississippi Delta Community College, Coahoma Community College, Mississippi Valley University and the USDA-Agricultural Research Station will be able to utilize this instrument. As a result, the entire Mississippi Delta will benefit from this acquisition and scientific literacy of this community will be greatly enhanced.