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

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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.