MRI: Acquisition of a Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope and Energy Dispersive Spectrometry Attachment for High Resolution Imaging at Skidmore College

斯基德莫尔学院获得了场发射扫描电子显微镜（FESEM）的奖励，以支持多个正在进行的研究项目，并在生命和物理科学领域开展新的研究活动。FESEM将大大加强学院的师生合作研究，为需要高分辨率表面成像的科学课程提供强大的新工具，并将直接促进Skidmore科学家和来自世界各地的研究人员之间的积极合作。该仪器还将通过斯基德莫尔科学与数学学者（S3M）和高等教育机会计划（HEOP），以及社区外展计划，包括约翰霍普金斯青年人才中心和年度斯基德莫尔科学与数学开放日，用于提高学生对科学和技术的早期参与。FESEM是高分辨率表面成像的强大工具，该仪器的功能将直接应用于植物细胞生物学、水污染评估技术的发展、动物发育生物学、环境化学、有机质衰变、板块构造、化石超微结构和考古学等不同领域的积极和计划研究。它的多功能性成像各种各样的样品，从水合生物样品到空气中的颗粒，再到考古文物，使其在广泛的研究项目中应用强大的仪器。该仪器将允许在植物细胞壁聚合物相互作用、微流体、粉煤灰化学、鱼类离子细胞、化石沉积物、地壳演化和考古文物研究中开发新的和复杂的实验。能谱分析仪（EDS）将为化学和材料分析提供高通量和高灵敏度的工具。通过多学科使用FESEM产生的数据和使用协议将用于高级课程的研究型实验室项目，如生物电子显微镜，无机化学，艺术高级分析方法，考古学和法医学以及物理化学II。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，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。

An award is made to Skidmore College to acquire a Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM) for support of multiple ongoing research projects and the development of new research initiatives in the life and physical sciences. The FESEM will significantly enhance student-faculty collaborative research at the College, provide a powerful new tool for science courses requiring high resolution surface imaging, and will directly contribute to active collaborations between Skidmore scientists and researchers from around the world. This instrument will also be used to enhance early student engagement in science and technology via the Skidmore Scholars in Science and Mathematics (S3M) and the Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP), and for community outreach programs, including the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth and the annual Skidmore Science and Math Open House. FESEM is a powerful tool in high-resolution imaging of surfaces and the capabilities of this instrument will be directly applied to active and planned research in such diverse areas as plant cell biology, the development of water contamination assessment technologies, animal developmental biology, environmental chemistry, organic matter decay, plate tectonics, fossil ultrastructure and archaeology. Its versatility in imaging a wide variety of samples ranging from hydrated biological samples to airborne particles to archaeological artifacts makes it powerful instrument with application in wide ranging research programs. This instrument will allow for the development of new and sophisticated experiments in the study of plant cell wall polymer interactions, microfluidics, fly ash chemistry, fish ionocytes, fossil deposits, crustal evolution and archaeological artifacts. The Energy Dispersive Spectrometry attachment (EDS) will provide a high-throughput and high-sensitivity tool for chemical and materials analyses. Data and utilization protocols generated through the multidisciplinary use of the FESEM will be employed in research-based laboratory projects in advanced courses such as Biological Electron Microscopy, Inorganic Chemistry, Advanced Analytical Methods in Art, Archaeology and Forensics, and Physical Chemistry II.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.