MRI: Acquisition of a Scanning Electron Microscope for Research, Education, and Exhibit Programs at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County

洛杉矶县基金会自然历史博物馆(NHM)获奖，以获得用于研究、教育和展览项目的扫描电子显微镜(SEM)。扫描电子显微镜将取代较早的模型，该模型在博物馆服务了近20年。NHM是一家研究和教育机构，服务于美国种族最多元化的城市之一和最大的学区。NHM的教育分部将利用新的显微镜来帮助向公众传播科学。教育和培训活动将包括与当地几所大学和高中合作的研究生、本科生和高中水平的课程。计划中的相邻展览将把扫描电子显微镜纳入一个面向公众的环境中，使用图形、图像和实时视频向参观者展示科学中的图像是如何产生和使用的。其他社会利益包括通过外展活动和内部课程以及为访问教师和各个年龄段的学校团体进行演示来提高公众的科学素养。新显微镜将用于广泛的科学研究领域，包括进化形态学、脊椎动物和无脊椎动物生物学和古生物学、系统和系统发育生物学、矿物科学等。扫描电子显微镜图像将用于各种出版物、书籍和科学报告。研究活动的结果将在同行评议的出版物和国家和国际科学会议上传播。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势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 the Natural History Museum (NHM) of Los Angeles County Foundation for the purpose of acquiring a scanning electron microscope (SEM) for research, education, and exhibition programs. The SEM will replace an earlier model that served the Museum well for nearly 20 years. The NHM is a research and educational institution that serves one of the nation’s most ethnically diverse cities and largest school district. NHM’s Education branch will leverage the new microscope to aid in communicating science to the public. Education and training activities will include classes taught at graduate, undergraduate, and high school levels in affiliation with several local universities and high schools. A planned adjacent exhibit will incorporate the SEM into a public-facing setting that uses graphics, images, and live-feed video to show visitors how images in the sciences are produced and used. Other societal benefits include raising the scientific literacy of the general public via outreach activities and through in-house classes and demonstrations for visiting teachers and school groups of all ages.The new microscope will be used in a wide variety of scientific research fields, including evolutionary morphology, vertebrate and invertebrate biology and paleontology, systematic and phylogenetic biology, mineral sciences, and more. SEM images will be used in a diverse array of publications, books, and scientific reports. Results from research activities will be disseminated in peer-reviewed publications and through national and international scientific meetings.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.