MRI: Acquisition of a Field-Emission Scanning Electron Microscope for a Primarily Undergraduate Consortium

我们要求购买一台场发射扫描电子显微镜（FE-SEM），用于克莱蒙特学院联盟，一个5500名学生的主要学术团体。该仪器将供各学科的本科生每天使用，时间由在线预订系统分配，不收取用户费用。我们选择在下面的描述中关注三个主要领域：(1)能源和环境材料。在该领域，该仪器将支持以下几个项目的重要成像：氧化锌纳米管上使用卟啉敏化剂的染料敏化太阳能电池，低成本，高稳定性聚合物太阳能电池，用于低能量分离的无机/有机复合气体分离膜，以及环境监测（用于化学微传感器和微分析系统开发的组合材料研究）。(2)生物工程。在该领域的其他项目中，该仪器将支持角膜组织工程和壳聚糖纳米颗粒合成的项目。(3)地质。该领域的两个主要研究项目包括火成岩和变质岩学、地球微生物学和沉积地质学。所要求的仪器的主要目的是用于本科生研究和研究训练。我们的管理计划是基于我们过去7年的成功，目前的设施是围绕一台已经使用了13年的二手FE-SEM建造的。在过去的四年中，已有150多名用户（几乎都是本科生）使用了当前的FE-SEM，共计1070次。为本科生提供使用精密仪器的机会，可以激励他们讨论各种专业主题，并且可以成为鼓励学生进一步从事科学研究，研究生学习或工业研究职位的关键因素。该设施将在整个财团的外展项目中发挥重要作用。由5500名学生组成的克莱蒙特学院联盟向美国国家科学基金会提交了一份购买场发射扫描电子显微镜的提案。这种类型的显微镜能够在从英寸到纳米的尺度上对纤维、细胞、颗粒、矿物、新材料和设备进行常规图像分析，相应的放大倍数从10倍到100万倍，并且明显优于任何传统的光学显微镜。这台显微镜每天将被本科生用于各种各样的项目，包括用于新能源的新材料，如新型太阳能电池，用于环境监测的传感器，人造角膜的生物工程，以及用于分析地质样本的显微镜，这些样本可以帮助科学家了解最基本的生命形式与地球相互作用的机制。虽然大多数场发射扫描电子显微镜位于大型研究型大学和高科技工业环境中，但所要求的仪器的主要目的是用于本科生研究和研究培训。该提议是基于过去7年的成功，目前的显微镜设施是围绕一台使用了13年的旧显微镜建造的。在过去的四年里，150多名用户，几乎都是本科生，使用这台显微镜进行了一千多次研究。为本科生提供使用精密仪器的机会，可以激励他们讨论各种专业主题，并且可以成为鼓励学生进一步从事科学研究，研究生学习或工业研究职位的关键因素。该设施将成为面向公众的推广项目的特色，特别是面向1至12年级的学生和教师。该提案是由波莫纳学院和哈维马德学院的一组教授撰写的，这两所大学都是美国最挑剔的大学，在本科研究方面有着良好的记录。

Technical AbstractWe request the purchase of a field-emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) for use in the Claremont Colleges consortuim, a major academic community of 5,500 students. The instrument will be used daily by undergraduate research students across a broad range of disciplines with time allocated by an online reservation system and without user fees. We have chosen to focus on the three main areas in the description below:(1) Materials for Energy and the Environment. In this area, the proposed instrument would support important imaging in several projects: Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells with Porphyrin Sensitizers on Zinc Oxide Nanotubes, Low-cost, High-Stability Polymer Solar Cells, Inorganic/Organic Composite Gas Separation Membranes for Low-Energy Separations, and Environmental Monitoring (combinatorial materials research for chemical microsensor and microanalytical system development).(2) Bioengineering. Amongst other projects in this area, the instrument would support projects on Tissue Engineering a Cornea, and Chitosan Nanoparticle Synthesis.(3) Geology. Two major projects in this area include Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology and Geomicrobiology and Sedimentary Geology.The primary purpose of the requested instrument is for undergraduate research and research training. Our management plan is based on our success over the past 7 years with the current facility built around a used FE-SEM, which is now over 13 years old. In the past four years, more than 150 users, almost all undergraduates, have used the current FE-SEM for a total of 1070 sessions. Providing undergraduate students with the opportunity to work with sophisticated instrumentation provides motivation to discuss a variety of specialized topics and can be a key factor in encouraging students to pursue further scientific research, graduate studies or industrial research positions. The facility will be featured in outreach programs across the consortium.Non-technical AbstractThe Claremont Colleges consortuim, a major academic community of 5,500 students has submitted a proposal to the National Science Foundation for the purchase of a field-emission scanning electron microscope. This type of microscope is able to routinely image analyze fibers, cells, particles, minerals, new materials, and devices at size scales ranging from inches to nanometers, corresponding to magnifications from ten times to one million times, and significantly better than any tradition optical microscope. The microscope will be used daily by undergraduate research students across a broad range of projects including novel materials for new energy sources such as new types of solar cells, sensors for environmental monitoring, bioengineering of artificial corneas, and for analysis of geologic samples that help scientists understand mechanisms through which the most basic forms of life interact with the Earth. While most field-emission scanning electron microscopes are located in large research universities and high tech industrial settings, the primary purpose of the requested instrument is for undergraduate research and research training. The proposal is based on the success over the past 7 years with the current microscope facility built around a used microscope, which is now over 13 years old. In the past four years, more than 150 users, almost all undergraduates, have used the current microscope for over a thousand research sessions. Providing undergraduate students with the opportunity to work with sophisticated instrumentation provides motivation to discuss a variety of specialized topics and can be a key factor in encouraging students to pursue further scientific research, graduate studies or industrial research positions. The facility will be featured in outreach programs for the public, especially with school children and teachers in grades 1-12. The proposal was written by a team of professors from Pomona College and Harvey Mudd College, both amongst the most selective colleges in the country with strong records of undergraduate research.