MRI: Acquisition of a Laser Scanning Confocal Microscope Facility for Interdisciplinary Live Cell Imaging

这笔重大研究仪器拨款将支持购买固定工作台直立共焦显微镜，并支持休斯顿大学生命科学研究的计算基础设施。获得的徕卡共聚焦显微镜将允许对生命科学的不同领域进行尖端研究，包括神经生物学和行为学、细胞信号、生物化学甚至进化。许多资深和初级研究人员将利用共聚焦显微镜的先进能力来解决重要问题，包括：理解记忆形成的细胞机制，细胞骨架功能的动力学和调节，以及蛋白质合成的生物物理学。这种显微镜对于保持休斯顿大学的共焦能力，以及扩展对生物学和生物化学新领域的研究能力都是必要的。最先进的共聚焦显微镜将允许使用先进的技术，如去除神经递质、荧光共振能量转移(FRET)和光漂白后荧光恢复(FRAP)。该显微镜还将用于与计算机科学家建立合作，为计算机辅助图像分析研究开发新的解决方案。Life和计算机科学家之间的合作将促进新的解决方案，以提高从成像实验中提取的数据的质量和数量。获得的共焦显微镜和生物图像分析计算机设施还将用于培训博士后、研究生和本科生，包括许多代表性不足的少数民族。休斯顿大学是美国种族多元化程度第二高的研究型大学吗？S在全美排名第23。生物和生物化学系是休斯顿大学的主要生命科学系，拥有近3000个本科专业。这些专业中约有三分之一是代表不足的少数族裔(11%的非裔美国人，21.5%的西班牙裔，2%的印第安人)。更多的生物和生化本科生也是第一代大学生。共焦显微镜将用于本科课程，每年培训400多名本科生，以及两门研究生水平的细胞神经科学课程，每年为大约20名研究生提供先进显微技术方面的培训。共焦显微镜将在新的夏季研讨会上进一步使用，该研讨会将为约40名未被充分代表的少数民族本科生举办生物成像研讨会。这些训练有素的本科生将被招募到教员实验室进行研究项目，这些项目将使用获得的共焦显微镜。显微镜将为吸引学生积极参与生命科学和计算机图像分析研究项目提供一个有吸引力的焦点。共焦显微镜和计算机分析设施将改变休斯顿大学生物与生物化学和计算机科学专业学生的科学教育。

This Major Research Instrumentation grant will support the acquisition of a fixed-stage upright confocal microscope and supporting computational infrastructure for Life Science research at the University of Houston. The acquired Leica confocal microscope will permit leading edge research into diverse areas of the life sciences including neurobiology and behavior, cell signaling, biochemistry and even evolution. Many established and junior investigators will use the advanced capabilities of the confocal microscope to address important questions, including: understanding the cellular mechanisms of memory formation, the dynamics and regulation of cytoskeleton function, and the biophysics of protein synthesis. This microscope is necessary both to maintain confocal capabilities of the University of Houston, and to expand the ability for investigations into new areas in biology and biochemistry. The state-of-the-art confocal microscope will permit advanced techniques such as uncaging neurotransmitters, fluorescence resonant energy transfer (FRET), and fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP). The microscope will also be used to establish collaborations with Computer Scientists to develop new solutions for computer assisted image analysis research. The collaboration between Life and Computer Scientists will facilitate new solutions for increasing the quality and quantity of data extracted from imaging experiments. The acquired confocal microscope and biological image analysis computer facility will also be used to train postdocs, graduate and undergraduate students, including many underrepresented minorities. The University of Houston is the US?s second most ethnically diverse research university, and the 23rd largest in the United States. The Department of Biology and Biochemistry is the primary life science department at the University of Houston and has almost 3,000 undergraduate majors. Approximately 1/3rd of these majors are underrepresented minorities (11% African Americans, 21.5% Hispanic, 2% Native American). Many more of the Biology and Biochemistry undergraduates are also first generation college students. The confocal microscope will be used in undergraduate courses to train more than 400 undergraduate students per year and two graduate levels courses in cellular neuroscience, providing yearly training to approximately 20 graduate students in advanced microscopic techniques. The confocal microscope will be used further in new summer workshops on biological imaging for ~40 underrepresented minority undergraduate students. These trained undergraduates will be recruited into faculty labs for research projects that will use the acquired confocal microscope. The microscope will provide an attractive focus for engaging students to actively participate in life science and computer image analysis research programs. The confocal microscope and computer analysis facility will transform the scientific education of the Biology & Biochemistry and the Computer Science Students at the University of Houston.