RUI: Acquisition of a Microfocus X-ray Computed Tomography System for Analysis of Geological and Biological Samples

在世界上许多最特殊的化石矿床中，从基质中提取化石是困难的，而且化石往往很小，以致连续切片是一致的。这一点在新元古代最为明显，那里的大部分化石记录都是软体的、微观的、以3D形式保存的，或者以一种不利于机械或化学提取技术的方式被埋葬。微聚焦x射线计算机断层扫描技术（microCT）能够对地质和生物样品的三维内部结构进行无损可视化，为研究这类化石提供了一种新的方法。这笔拨款将用于购买一台100千伏的Skyscan 1072微型ct仪器，允许可视化和创建小至500纳米的结构模型。该仪器将为阿默斯特学院以及其他五学院联盟机构的本科生和教师研究做出重大贡献

0236775HagadornIn many of the world most exceptional fossil deposits, extraction of fossils from the matrix is difficult, and fossils are often so small that serial sectioning is uniformative. Nowhere is this more true than in the Neoproterozoic, where much of the fossil record is soft-bodied, microscopic, preserved in 3D, and/or entombed in a manner inimical to mechanical or chemical extraction techniques. Microfocus X-ray computed tomography (microCT) enables nondestructive visualization of the three-dimensional internal structure of geological and biological samples, and offers a new manner in which to examine such fossils. This grant will support purchase of a 100 kV Skyscan 1072 microCT instrument, allowing visualization and creation of models of structures as small as 500nm. This instrument will contribute substantially to undergraduate and faculty research at Amherst College, as well as at other five-College Consortium institutions.***