MRI: Acquisition of DNA-Manipulation Robotics for Increased Throughput and Data Integrity in Biological Research, Teaching, and Student Research Training

杨百翰大学在李约翰逊博士的指导下获得了一笔赠款，用于部分支持购买两台研究仪器：一台机器人PCR和测序工作站，以及一台操纵E. coli和其他克隆载体。 这些仪器将被安置在杨百翰大学（BYU）的核心DNA测序中心（DNASC）。 DNASC由杨百翰大学于1998年单独成立，为校园内六个系和两个学院的教师以及校外机构的赞助人提供服务。 通过适当的技术设备增强DNASC核心设施，提供了一个具有成本效益的中心位置，这将有助于合作研究和新的调查路线。 新仪器将提供以下内容：1）通过提高校内和校外大量研究人员的数据准确性和吞吐量来扩大研究范围; 2）为参与教师指导研究的大量本科生和研究生加强和提供新的教学和最先进的设备培训;和3）通过减少目前在被机器人设备取代的几个重复过程中花费的时间，增加和增强学生研究人员对研究数据分析和手稿准备方面的参与。许多研究途径，以及通过直接参与这项研究的学生培训，将受到新设备的影响。 活跃的研究项目包括软骨分化的分子生物学，蛋白质信号传导，病毒库和流行病学，植物和动物系统学，线虫生物学和发病机理，本土作物改良，保护生物学，分子生态学和DNA序列分析。所要求的仪器将通过影响以下成果来影响杨百翰大学的大型学生研究指导计划：1）为学生提供机会，通过四个当前和一个待建立的课程获得现代设备的真实世界经验和获得培训; 2）使学生研究人员能够更多地参与分析，数据合成，和研究的手稿写作阶段，需要和发展更大的认知和批判性思维能力，减少在重复性任务上花费的时间;和3）让学生参与生物学前沿的合作项目，通过使用这种设备变得可行。预计妇女和代表性不足的群体将继续大量参与研究生和本科生的指导研究经验。校外用户和访问学者访问和使用增强的DNASC，已经是常见的活动，预计也将增加。

A grant has been awarded to Brigham young University under the direction of Dr. Leigh Johnson for partial support of acquiring two research instruments: a robotic PCR and sequencing workstation, and a workstation for manipulation of E. coli and other cloning vectors. These instruments will be housed in the core DNA sequencing center (DNASC) at Brigham Young University (BYU). The DNASC was established in 1998 solely by BYU, and serves faculty from six departments and two colleges on campus, as well as patrons from institutions off campus. Enhancing the DNASC core facility with appropriate technical equipment provides a cost-effective central location that will aid collaborative research and the new lines of investigation. The new instruments will provide the following: 1) enhance the scope of research by increasing data accuracy and throughput for a large group of researchers on and off campus; 2) enhance and provide new teaching and state-of-the-art equipment training to a large group of undergraduate and graduate students involved in faculty-mentored research; and 3) increase and enhance the involvement of student researchers in data analyses and manuscript preparation aspects of research by decreasing the time currently spent in several repetitive processes supplanted by the robotic equipment. Many avenues of research, and student training through direct participation in this research, will be impacted by the new equipment. Active research programs include, among others, the molecular biology of cartilage differentiation, protein signaling, virus reservoirs and epidemiology, plant and animal systematics, nematode biology and pathogenesis, indigenous crop improvement, conservation biology, molecular ecology, and DNA sequence analysis. The instrumentation requested will impact the large student-research mentoring program at BYU by effecting the following outcomes: 1) provide opportunities for students to gain real-world experience with modern equipment and gain training through four current and one to-be-established courses; 2) enable student researchers to increase involvement in analytical, data synthesis, and manuscript writing phases of research that demand and develop greater cognitive and critical thinking skills by decreasing time spent in repetitive tasks; and 3) involve students in collaborative projects at the forefront of biology made feasible by access to this equipment. Continued heavy participation in graduate and undergraduate mentored-research experiences by women and underrepresented groups is anticipated. Visitation and use of the enhanced DNASC by off campus users and visiting scholars, already common activities, are also expected to increase.