Acquisition of a Scanning Probe Microscope for Reseach and Teaching

在道格拉斯·丹尼斯博士的指导下，亚利桑那州立大学获得了一笔赠款，用于部分支持使用原子力显微镜的研究。这项研究将由来自三个机构的科学家进行，分别是亚利桑那州立大学西校区、中西部大学和太阳健康研究所。项目包括研究细菌中发现的多羟基烷酸细胞内包涵体的结构，研究DNA分子在带电荷的人工底物周围弯曲的项目，分析酶和解旋酶对DNA的解绕作用，以及研究阿尔茨海默氏症患者中负责β淀粉样斑块结构的肽的成像。所有这四个研究项目都将得到极大的便利，因为他们将使用该奖项的资金获得一台原子力显微镜。由于目前对纳米技术的兴趣，以及原子力显微镜易于使用，它也将被用于亚利桑那州立大学材料科学实验室的基础化学课程，以及生物学入门实验室，为学生提供纳米级生物标本的实时图像。该仪器还将用于为高级高中理科学生提供访问亚利桑那州立大学和体验纳米世界现实的机会，并证明学生可以相对轻松地发起高水平的科学研究。最终，该项目将使凤凰城西北部受益，为那些希望从事分子水平研究的学生以及其他机构的研究人员提供资源，这些学生了解原子力显微镜的功能并希望将其用于他们的研究。

A grant has been awarded to Arizona State University under the direction of Dr. Douglas Dennis for partial support of research employing an atomic force microscope. The research will be conducted by scientists from three institutions, Arizona State University at the west campus, Midwestern University, and Sun Health Research Institute. Projects include work on the structure of polyhydroxyalkanaote intracellular inclusions found in bacteria, a project on the bending of DNA molecules around charged artificial substrates, an analysis of the unwinding of DNA by the enzyme, helicase and work on imaging the peptides that are responsible for beta amyloid plaque structure in Alzheimer's patients. All four research projects will be greatly facilitated by the acquisition of an atomic force microscope using funds from this award.Because of the current interest in nanotechnology, and the ease with which an atomic force microscope can be utilized, it will also be employed at ASU in basic chemistry courses for materials sciences laboratories, as well as introductory biology laboratories to provide students with real-time images of biological specimens at the nanoscale. The instrument will also be used to provide opportunities for advanced high school science students to visit ASU and experience the realities of the nanoworld, as well as demonstrate that high-level scientific research can be initiated by students with relative ease.Ultimately the project will benefit the northwest part of Phoenix by providing a focus on nanotechnology and serving as a resource for those students wishing to engage in molecular-level research, as well as researchers at other institutions that learn of the capabilities of an atomic force microscope and want to employ it in their research.