Acquisition of a Transmission Electron Microscope and CCD Camera

该合同将为康涅狄格大学斯托尔斯校区的多用户显微镜设备中安装的透射电子显微镜（TEM）和电荷耦合器件（CCD）相机的采购提供部分支持。此次采购将确保持续的TEM可用性，并提供增强和扩展研究和研究培训的新能力。该仪器将用于至少11名研究人员的研究项目。主要用户群体的专业知识范围从进化生物学到材料科学；他们目前都在使用TEM来解决各自领域的前沿问题。该小组包括具有完善项目的高级研究员和依靠TEM职业发展的初级教师。研究项目包括：(1)大脑细胞交流方式的基本方面，(2)寄生扁形虫的系统学和进化多样性，(3)负责肌肉细胞收缩的蛋白质之间的相互作用，(4)用于半导体、陶瓷、电池和燃料电池的新材料的设计，(5)耐盐植物研究，(6)大脑化学污染物的清除，(7)细菌的孢子形成和纤维素降解，(8)病原体与宿主的相互作用。TEM校长的演示和实践是许多现有的高级本科生和研究生课程的常规部分。新仪器将允许容纳更大的小组，增加可以从这些演示中受益的课程数量，并将允许更有效地指导TEM方法。

This award provides partial support for the acquisition of a transmission electron microscope (TEM) and charge-coupled device (CCD) camera to be housed in a multi-user microscopy facility at the Storrs campus of the University of Connecticut. This purchase will ensure continued TEM availability and provide new capabilities to enhance and expand both research and research training. The instrument will be used in research projects of at least eleven investigators. The expertise of the major user group ranges from evolutionary biology to materials science; all are currently using the TEM to address questions at the cutting edge of their fields. The group includes both senior investigators with well-established programs and junior faculty depending on TEM for their career development. Research projects include: (1) fundamental aspects of the way cells in the brain communicate, (2) systematics and evolutionary diversity amongst parasitic flatworms, (3) interactions between proteins that are responsible for contraction in muscle cells, (4) design of new materials to be used in semiconductors, ceramics, batteries and fuel cells, (5) salt resistant plant studies, (6) clearance of chemical contaminants from the brain, (7) sporulation and cellulose degradation in bacteria, and (8) pathogen-host interactions. Demonstrations of TEM principals and practice are a regular part of a number of existing courses for advanced undergraduates and graduate students. The new instrument will allow larger groups to be accommodated, increasing the number of courses that can benefit from these demonstrations, and will allow more effective instruction in TEM methodology.