Acquisition of Real-Time Thermocycler and Digital Imager for Interdisciplinary Research in Northeast Wisconsin

该奖项将为劳伦斯大学的化学和生物系提供实时热循环仪和数字成像仪。这些仪器的每一项研究活动的共同主题是通过基于功能基因组学的方法阐明复杂的生物和化学过程。生物化学家霍尔正在确定鼻病毒如何与信号转导途径相互作用。E. De Stasio是一位分子生物学家，他使用C。elegans来探索肌肉中的蛋白质-蛋白质相互作用。沃尔是一位发育生物学家，其研究重点是各种分泌因子在细胞分化和胚胎形成中的作用。水生生态学家B。德斯塔西奥正在研究斑马贻贝破坏的格林湾食物网的复杂相互作用。每个研究人员都使用现有的工具编写了令人印象深刻的工作，但获得这些新仪器（目前缺乏劳伦斯）承诺进一步提高以学生为中心的研究工作的质量和影响。来自威斯康星州东北部几个校区的多名研究人员，包括教师和本科生，将使用这些仪器来解决一系列不同的生物学问题。这些仪器还将为跨学科合作提供环境，并将改善大学的教育计划。超过40%的劳伦斯科学毕业生继续研究生学习。他们这样做在很大程度上是因为他们作为本科生获得的前沿研究经验。除了帮助为学生提供丰富的研究经验外，这些仪器还将用于生物化学，分子生物学，发育生物学和水生生态学等课程。当学生使用国家的最先进的仪器，他们获得现代科学探究的更准确的看法，他们磨练批判性思维和实验技能，在当今社会所需要的类型。

This award will provide a real-time thermocycler and a digital imager for the Chemistry and Biology Departments at Lawrence University. The common theme of each of the research activities for these instruments is the elucidation of complex biological and chemical processes through functional genomics-based approaches. Hall, a biochemist, is determining how rhinovirus interacts with signal transduction pathways. E. De Stasio is a molecular biologist who uses C. elegans to explore the protein-protein interactions in muscle. Wall is a developmental biologist whose research focuses on the role of various secreted factors in cell differentiation and embryonic patterning. Aquatic ecologist B. De Stasio is examining the intricate interactions of the Green Bay food web disrupted by zebra mussels. Each of the investigators has compiled an impressive body of work using currently available tools, but access to these new instruments (currently lacking at Lawrence) promises to further enhance the caliber and impact of student-centered research endeavors.Multiple investigators, both faculty and undergraduates, from several campuses in northeast Wisconsin, will use the instruments to address a series of diverse biological questions. The instruments will also provide an environment for interdisciplinary collaborations and will improve the university's educational programs. Over 40% of Lawrence science graduates go on to post-graduate study. They do so in large part because of the cutting-edge research experiences they receive as undergraduates. In addition to helping provide research-rich experiences for the students, the instruments will be used in classes including biochemistry, molecular biology, developmental biology, and aquatic ecology. When students use state-of-the-art instruments, they gain a more accurate view of modern scientific inquiry, and they hone the types of critical thinking and experimental skills that are needed in today's society.