MRI: Acquisition of a benchtop cell sorter to advance undergraduate research and training in biology at Lewis & Clark College

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An award is made to Lewis & Clark College to acquire a benchtop cell sorter, which will facilitate innovative and cutting-edge research in at least three laboratories on campus. Cell sorting is a method used to characterize, separate, and collect cells or organelles from a heterogeneous population based on physical, chemical and/or molecular properties. The acquisition of a cell sorter will support the Biology Department in providing meaningful research experiences and training in the biological sciences to undergraduate students. By expanding the range of approaches available on campus, this instrument will broaden the research capacity at Lewis & Clark College and enhance opportunities for undergraduate students working in faculty research labs. The cell sorter also will be incorporated into laboratory courses, even at the introductory-level, in which students are trained to design and carry out their own original, independent research projects.Cell sorting has becoming increasingly common and necessary in biological research, due to advancements in experimental methods and a deeper appreciation for studying unique cell-types and organelles. Genomics and proteomics technologies are now more sensitive, efficient, and affordable, creating new opportunities to analyze specific cells and organelles that are collected by cell sorting. Recent developments also have made gene editing easier and more accessible, and best practices employ a cell sorter to select genetically altered cells. The availability of a cell sorter, therefore, will support and advance research in at least three laboratories at Lewis & Clark College to employ these modern methods towards gaining new insight into biological processes. These include studies into the mechanisms of cell-specific gene regulation, the effects of developmental nicotine exposure in D. melanogaster, and the functions of lysosome-related organelles in C. elegans.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.