Facilities Upgrades to the Geomicrobiology and Electron Microscopy Laboratory at Portland State University

0318506卡迪这笔赠款支持升级的地质微生物学和电子显微镜设施提供给研究人员在波特兰州立大学。 拟购置的具体设备包括：Gatan离子束蚀刻/涂层系统，用于在电子束显微分析之前对样品进行清洁和导电涂层; Gatan倾斜旋转冷冻转移高分辨率透射电子显微镜载物台;高分辨率胶片扫描仪;图像分析软件和照相质量打印机。 这些设备将支持地质系和整个校园的研究。 该设备还将支持研究生，本科生和K-12学生接触电子显微镜技术，这对新兴的纳米科学研究计划至关重要。 地质系教师的研究将侧重于研究超嗜热生物膜和富铁温泉中的地球化学循环。 学习识别极端环境中天然材料中的微生物生物特征对我们理解地球上生命的进化具有重要意义。 用于研究极端环境中微生物矿化过程的微米和纳米级技术也为发现外星生物活动的痕迹化石提供了潜力。

0318506CadyThis grant supports upgrades to the geomicrobiology and electron microscope facilities available to researchers at Portland State University. Specific equipment to be acquired included a Gatan ion beam etching/coating systems for cleaning and conductively coating samples prior to electron beam microanalysis, a Gatan tilt-rotate cryotransfer high resolution transmission electron microscope (HR-TEM) stage, a high resolution film scanner, image analysis software and a photographic quality printer. The equipment will support research both within the Department of Geology and across campus. The equipment will also support graduate, undergraduate and K-12 student exposure to electron microscopy techniques that are crucial for emerging nanoscience research initiatives. Research by faculty in the Geology Department will focus on studies of hyperthermophilic biofilms and biogeochemical cycling in iron-rich hot springs. Learning to recognize microbial biosignatures in natural materials from extreme environments has implications for our understanding of the evolution of life on earth. Micro and nanoscale techniques for investigating microbial mineralization processes in extreme environments also offers potential for discovering trace fossils of extraterrestrial biotic activity.***