MRI: Acquisition of a High Resolution X-ray Computed Tomography Instrument for a Multi-User Imaging Facility

该项目获得了一台高分辨率扫描仪，可以在不破坏或改变样品的情况下获得广泛样品（从生物标本到生物材料到3D打印物体到土壤样品）的微米或亚微米级详细3D图像。这项投资支持自然和生物结构的一些研究社区，以及几个部门的高级多用户研究。 该仪器正在生物学、化学、地质学和3D制造网络安全领域开展项目。 这些资源将由大学和当地小型生物技术和制药行业的研究人员共享。该系统取代了一个有12年历史的微型计算机断层扫描（micro-CT）单元，该单元将被搬迁到该大学纽瓦克校园的一个新设施。来自校园的调查人员一直在使用该设施，但受到皮斯卡特维当前位置的阻碍，需要往返于该设施进行项目，这些项目不需要与待获取的纳米CT相关的更高分辨率、更低扫描时间和温度控制扫描条件。因此，研究人员正在利用购买SkyScan 1272纳米CT的皮斯卡特维研究人员，需要其能力，以扩大微型CT成像资源的纽瓦克校园。这一多用户成像设施将由具有多模式成像专门知识的全职工作人员管理。nano-CT系统将成为罗格斯大学多用户分子成像中心（RUMIC）提供的五种互补成像模式之一。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This project acquires a high-resolution scanner that can obtain detailed 3D images at the micron or sub-micron level of a broad range of samples (ranging from biological specimens to biomaterials to 3D printed objects to soil samples) without destroying or altering the sample. This investment supports some research communities in natural and biological structures, and advanced multi-user research in several departments. Projects are being carried out with the instrument in the areas of biology, chemistry, geology and cybersecurity for 3D manufacturing. The resources will be shared by researchers from the university and local small biotech and pharmaceutical industries. The system replaces a 12-year-old micro Computational Tomography (micro-CT) unit, which will be relocated to a new facility on the Newark campus of the university. Investigators from the campus have been using the facility, but are hindered by the current location in Piscataway, requiring traveling to and from the facility for the projects that do not require the higher resolution, lower scanning times, and temperature controlled scanning conditions associated with the nano-CT to be acquired. The investigators are thus leveraging the purchase of a SkyScan 1272 nano-CT for Piscataway researchers that require its capabilities to extend micro-CT imaging resources to the Newark campus. This multi-user imaging facility will be managed by full-time staff having multimodal imaging expertise. The nano-CT system will become one of five complementary imaging modalities available at Rutgers University mult-iuser Molecular Imaging Center (RUMIC).This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.