MRI: Acquisition of a micro-computed tomography system for advanced imaging and inter-disciplinary multi-user access for the University of Arkansas and the US Interior Highlands

该合同为高分辨率x射线微计算机断层扫描（microCT）扫描仪提供支持，该扫描仪将使美国内陆高地的前沿研究成为可能，包括阿肯色州西北部、俄克拉荷马州中部和东部、密苏里州南部和堪萨斯州东南部。收购这一先进的尼康成像系统将允许对生物和地质标本、历史文物和工程材料进行三维（3D）、非破坏性研究，这将允许研究人员记录各种天然和工程材料的内部结构，并在微观（Ü 0.1毫米）和纳米尺度（0.001毫米）的3D中检查这些结构。在这些水平上记录材料的微观结构组织对于确定其功能至关重要。这种窥视材料微观结构的能力适用于广泛的学科，包括机械工程、生物学、人类学、解剖学、古生物学、地质学、神经科学、化学和生物化学、人类健康、生物医学工程等。通过与阿肯色州西北部和俄克拉荷马州东部的众多项目合作，microCT设备还将为通常无法获得先进成像技术的社区提供支持和培训，让学生了解日常材料的微观结构特性，并激发该地区女性和代表性不足群体对STEM领域的兴趣和参与。天然和合成材料的微观结构在决定其功能和强度方面起着至关重要的作用。然而，非破坏性地记录这些微小的关系往往是具有挑战性的。在以合理的用户费用准确、快速地捕获此类数据的最有效技术之一是现代微ct扫描仪。这些技术使越来越多的材料能够进行3D记录，并对其组成、形式和功能特性进行系统评估，从而在生物、地质和工程科学等领域取得重大突破。这个微型ct系统将由新成立的微型ct成像研究和推广中心（MICRO）运营和管理，该中心位于阿肯色大学先进空间技术中心（CAST）。区域生物医学和认知科学家、生物学家、古生物学家、人类学家、考古学家、航空航天和生物医学工程师以及完善3D打印新方法的研究人员将受益于这一奖项，他们将利用微ct系统进行变革和跨学科研究，推动21世纪的技术和创新。这个奖项是由社会行为和经济，生物和工程理事会联合支持的。

This award provides support for a high-resolution, X-ray micro-computed tomography (microCT) scanner that will enable cutting-edge research in the US Interior Highlands, including Northwest Arkansas, central and eastern Oklahoma, southern Missouri, and southeastern Kansas. Acquisition of this advanced Nikon imaging system will allow three-dimensional (3D), non-destructive study of biological and geological specimens, historical artifacts, and engineering materials that will permit researchers to document the internal structures of a wide range of natural and engineered materials and examine these structures in 3D down to the micro (¡Ü 0.1 mm) and nano-scales ( 0.001 mm). Documenting the microstructural organization of materials at these levels is critical for determining their function. This ability to peer inside the microstructure of materials applies to a wide range of disciplines including mechanical engineering, biology, anthropology, anatomy, paleontology, geology, neuroscience, chemistry and biochemistry, human health, biomedical engineering, and beyond. Via collaborations with numerous programs across Northwest Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma, the microCT equipment will also provide support and training for communities that typically do not have access to advanced imaging technologies, engage students in learning about the microstructural properties of everyday materials, and stimulate the interest and participation of women and underrepresented groups in STEM fields across the region. The microstructure of natural and synthetic materials play critical roles in determining their functions and strengths. Yet, documenting these minute relationships non-destructively is often challenging. Among the most effective technologies for capturing such data accurately, quickly, and at a reasonable user expense are modern microCT scanners. These technologies have enabled 3D documentation of an increasing range of materials and the systematic evaluation of their composition, form, and functional properties¡ªleading to major breakthroughs in the biological, geological, and engineering sciences, among others. This microCT system will be operated and managed by the newly formed MicroCT Imaging Center for Research and Outreach (MICRO) and housed in the Center for Advanced Spatial Technologies (CAST) at the University of Arkansas. Regional biomedical and cognitive scientists, biologists, paleontologists, anthropologists, archeologists, aerospace and biomedical engineers, and researchers perfecting new approaches to 3D printing will benefit from this award by using the microCT system to conduct transformative and interdisciplinary research that will drive 21st century technologies and innovations. This award is jointly supported by the Social Behavioral and Economic, the Biology and the Engineering Directorates.