MRI: Acquisition of an automated fluorescent microscope and imaging system for undergraduate biology and chemistry research and research training

圣约瑟夫大学(SJU)被授予购买广域自动荧光显微镜和成像系统的奖项。该设备加强了SJU生物系和化学系的研究和研究培训。大学生将在高级本科生和研究生课程中接触到涉及荧光显微镜的项目，并将其作为他们在上海和睦家大学研究经验的一部分。此外，通过SJU与费城地区公共教育系统建立的联系，这一工具将允许加强与当地小学生和高中生的接触。以显微镜为基础的教学项目将有助于培养这些学生对自然科学的鉴赏力，教授学生有关研究的知识，并将告知他们未来的职业兴趣。荧光显微镜是上海交通大学生物系和化学系正在进行的研究的重要组成部分。新的显微镜和成像系统将作为下列项目的关键部件：(1)利用基于荧光的生物传感器对线虫睡眠期间的信号分子进行体内成像；(2)对大脑切片进行免疫荧光分析，以确定睡眠和睡眠剥夺对小鼠记忆的影响；(3)对鱼类眼睛中对光和暗适应的细胞运动进行可视化研究；(4)以玉米病原菌Ustilago maydis为例，直接观察宿主与病原体的相互作用。使用该设备的其他项目包括：(1)面包酵母中染色体端粒的维持；(2)来自固氮菌S.Meliloti的血红素-PAS蛋白FixL的氧气传感机制；以及(3)半导体纳米晶体或“量子点”的分析。这项研究的结果将在地方、国家和国际会议上公布，并发表在同行评议的期刊上。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力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 Saint Joseph's University (SJU) to purchase a wide-field automated fluorescent microscope and imaging system. This equipment enhances the research and research training within SJU's biology and chemistry departments. College students will be exposed to projects involving fluorescent microscopy in upper-level undergraduate and graduate coursework and as a part of their research experiences at SJU. Additionally, through SJU's established connections with the Philadelphia area's public education system, this instrument will allow for enhanced engagement with local elementary and high school students. Microscopy-based teaching projects will help foster an appreciation among these students for the natural sciences, teach students about research, and will inform their future career interests.Fluorescence microscopy is an essential component of the ongoing research of both the biology and chemistry departments at SJU. The new microscope and imaging system will be used as a key component in the following projects: (1) in vivo imaging of signaling molecules using fluorescence-based biosensors during sleep in nematodes; (2) immunofluorescence of brain slices to determine the impact of sleep and sleep deprivation on memory in mice; (3) visualization of light- and dark-adaptive cellular movements in the eyes of fish; and (4) direct observation of host-pathogen interactions using Ustilago maydis, a fungal pathogen of maize. Other projects using this equipment involve: (1) the maintenance of chromosome telomeres in baker's yeast; (2) oxygen sensing mechanism of the Heme-PAS protein FixL from nitrogen-fixing bacteria, S. meliloti; and (3) analysis of semiconductor nanocrystals or "quantum dots." Results of this research will be presented at local, national, and international conferences, and published in peer-reviewed journals.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.