Equipment: MRI: Track 1 Acquisition of a Confocal Microscope for Research and Teaching at Vassar College

授予瓦萨学院一个共聚焦显微镜，以加强纽约哈德逊河流域中部地区的研究和教学，包括马里斯特学院和位于新帕尔茨的纽约州立大学。这种显微镜将为本科生创造新的STEM研究机会，特别是那些来自代表性不足的群体，通过加强正在进行和未来的研究项目，并通过促进跨学科的计划，旨在增加学生的多样性在干。以显微镜为重点的社区外联活动，如向更广泛的社区非正式介绍研究成果的“科学咖啡馆”，将突出基础生物学研究对包容性受众的重要性。该显微镜将加强中哈德逊河谷已经充满活力的生命科学联盟，创造一个区域资源，建立社区，并将邻近机构和学生的多样性聚集在一起，以进行尖端的科学发现。该奖项将从根本上改变纽约中哈德逊河谷地区的教师研究，教师指导的本科生研究和高级教学。这种共聚焦显微镜的能力的广度包括以高分辨率和三维成像生物结构的能力，从分子到活的有机体。显微镜将是一种广泛使用的多用途设备，增强了许多研究人员在不同学科的能力，包括生物化学，细胞生物学，发育生物学，微生物学，分子生物学，神经科学和心理科学。显微镜也将被纳入课堂，包括瓦萨学院和马里斯特学院的“动手”实验室课程。通过本科生的研究和培训，该奖项为培养下一代科学家提供了一个最先进的共聚焦显微镜平台。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进行评估，被认为值得支持。

An award is made to Vassar College to acquire a confocal microscope to enhance research and teaching in the New York Mid-Hudson Valley region, including at Marist College and at the State University of New York at New Paltz. This microscope will create new STEM research opportunities for undergraduates, especially those from underrepresented groups, by enhancing ongoing and future research projects and by facilitating programs across disciplines aimed at increasing student diversity in STEM. Microscopy-focused community outreach events, such as a “science cafe” to informally present research to the broader community, will highlight the importance of basic biological research to an inclusive audience. The microscope will enhance an already vibrant life sciences consortium in the Mid-Hudson Valley, creating a regional resource that builds community and brings together neighboring institutions and a diversity of students for cutting-edge scientific discovery.This award will fundamentally transform faculty research, faculty-mentored undergraduate research, and advanced-level teaching in the New York Mid-Hudson Valley region. The breadth of the capabilities of this confocal microscope includes the ability to image biological structures at high resolution and in 3-dimensions, from molecules to living organisms. The microscope will be a widely-used, multi-purpose device that augments the capabilities of numerous researchers in a diverse range of disciplines, including biochemistry, cell biology, developmental biology, microbiology, molecular biology, neuroscience, and psychological science. The microscope will also be incorporated into the classroom, including “hands-on” laboratory courses at both Vassar College and Marist College. Through undergraduate research and training, this award provides a state-of-the-art confocal microscopy platform for training the next generation of scientists.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.