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

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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.