MRI: Acquisition of Ion Mill for TEM Sample Preparation

来自主要研究仪器计划的这一奖项支持史密斯学院收购透射电子显微镜样品制备工具。 该工具的收购大大扩展了史密斯的能力，使非生物样品的研究在电子显微镜，从而打开了新的研究领域史密斯教师和学生，谁是该工具的主要用户。 该工具允许史密斯大学的研究人员在大学的前两年为本科生提供有意义的材料研究的途径，并为女性和占史密斯学生100%的代表性不足的少数民族打开大门。 众所周知，在大学早期参与研究会对妇女和少数民族在科学领域的保留产生积极影响。 此外，学生获得有意义的技能，如如何使电子显微镜样品，如何使用电子显微镜，以及如何分析结果。 这些技能在研究生课程和依赖材料开发的行业中很有价值。 该工具的获得也提高了教师在物理和材料科学方面指导所有种族和经济背景的女本科生的能力。来自主要研究仪器计划的这一奖项支持史密斯学院购买透射电子显微镜（TEM）样品制备工具。 该工具的收购大大扩展了史密斯的能力，使非生物样品的研究在电子显微镜，从而打开了新的研究领域史密斯教师和学生，谁是该工具的主要用户。收购离子磨将使史密斯学院的科学家能够制作高质量的横截面TEM样品，改进质量的平面TEM样品，并培训史密斯学院的本科生制作TEM横截面样品和改进的平面样品。该工具的获得极大地提高了当前和未来史密斯教师和学生与其他机构的研究人员合作的机会，这些研究人员从事硬/脆材料的制造研究，特别是在硅等基板上的薄膜，该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准。

This award from the Major Research Instrumentation program supports Smith College with the acquisition of Transmission Electron Microscopy sample preparation tool. Acquisition of this tool greatly expands Smith’s capabilities to make non-biological samples for study in the electron microscope, and thus opens new research areas to Smith faculty and students, who are the primary users of the tool. This tool allows researchers at Smith to offer undergraduates accessible pathways into meaningful materials research in their first two years of college and opens doors for women and underrepresented minorities who make up 100% of Smith students. Involvement with research in the early college years is known to positively affect retention of women and under-represented minorities in the sciences. In addition, students gain meaningful skills such as how to make samples for the electron microscope, how to use an electron microscope, and how to analyze the results. These skills are valued in graduate programs and in industries that rely on materials development. Acquisition of this tool also increases the ability of the faculty to mentor women undergraduates of all racial and economic backgrounds in the physical and materials sciences.This award from the Major Research Instrumentation program supports Smith College with the acquisition of a Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) sample preparation tool. Acquisition of this tool greatly expands Smith’s capabilities to make non-biological samples for study in the electron microscope, and thus opens new research areas to Smith faculty and students, who are the primary users of the tool. The acquisition of the ion mill will enable scientists at Smith College to make high quality cross-sectional TEM specimen, improved quality plan-view TEM specimen, and to train Smith College undergraduates to make TEM cross-sectional samples and improved plan-view samples. Acquisition of this tool greatly improves the opportunities for current and future Smith faculty and students to enter into collaborations with researchers at other institutions who engage in research on fabrication of hard/brittle materials and especially thin films on substrates such as silicon, GaAs or other semiconductor materials.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.