MRI: Acquisition of an ultra-centrifuge by the Natural Sciences department at UVa-Wise

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An award is made to the University of Virginia's College at Wise to purchase a JXN-30 hybrid ultra/high-speed centrifuge from Beckman-Coulter. This machine will offer a wide range of capabilities to a diverse department that houses multiple scientific disciplines. This centrifuge facilitates and improves an existing strong research environment at a rural public liberal arts college that serves a population with few opportunities to participate in the scientific process. It is an investment in a region where unemployment is increasing as the coal-based economy declines. Benefits to society include potentially transformative educational opportunities for the Appalachian region of far southwest Virginia, which are investments in the talented students choosing to pursue higher education at UVA-Wise. When we teach these students how to ask open-ended questions and then allow them to use high-end equipment and resources, we show them they have the potential to complete much larger and more transformative projects. UVa-Wise is a rural liberal arts college dedicated to providing outstanding research experiences to its students, and regularly has more than 10% of full time students involved in research projects with faculty. The three faculty included in this award specialize in Biology and Chemistry. This centrifuge will further expand the research capabilities of two researchers in molecular and cellular biology who address basic questions related to essential cellular processes such as DNA repair and RNA processing. The chemistry faculty will use the equipment to aid in the production and testing of organometallic compounds that may become anti-cancer therapies. More specifically, these scientists and their students will be able to 1 - perform ultra-centrifugation on-site for crucial polysome analysis experiments that help define basic RNA processing events in organelles; 2 - concentrate novel metallo-pharmaceuticals to be tested for anti-tumor or anti-microbial capabilities; 3 - process water samples for environmental eDNA and/or detect numerous pharmaceutical contaminants; and 4 - process large volumes of cells expressing recombinant proteins that can help elucidate the mechanisms of the DNA excision repair process.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.