MRI: Acquisition of a Scanning Electron Microscope with EDS

该奖项授予了位于密西西比州克利夫兰的三角洲州立大学（DSU）的生物和物理科学系。该合同允许购买带有能量色散x射线系统附件的扫描电子显微镜（SEM）。获得SEM将促进DSU在生物，化学和环境科学方面的各种科学研究调查，并将被教授和学生使用。相关项目包括分类学研究，如研究美国各地侏罗纪、白垩纪和第四纪地层的化石花粉和孢子的结构细节，寄生线虫的细菌带，旋毛虫线虫卵的表面图案，本地、入侵和归化物种的叶片气孔和毛状体，以推断与当地正在减少的低洼阔叶林有关的气候变化信息，并研究了与合成纱线相比，羊毛的总体化学性质和质地的结构差异。其他项目是基于环境推断，如检查酵母的表面特征，以了解真核细胞在pH值和温度差异下的基因功能，分析与肥胖有关的培养细胞和肌肉组织样本中的小泡，以及在与农业和工业场所相关的当地棕地中发生的重金属和吸收污染物的元素测绘，以便为经济发展进行恢复。使用扫描电镜的旅行费用将不再是一个问题，许多实验室经验将得到加强。获得SEM将有助于在DSU招募和留住具有专业科学领域专业知识的教师。教师将利用他们从扫描电镜获得的图片，在科学会议上做报告，如美国地质学会、美国植物学会、东南生物学等。学生也将能够利用这个工具来完成与本科科学学位相关的各种顶点项目。此外，该仪器将成为解剖学与生理学、寄生虫学、植物解剖学、环境化学、细胞生物学和生物学问题的常规课堂课程的一部分。因此，学生将获得宝贵的实践技能，这将增加他们进入研究生课程、医学院和其他学术追求的机会，并在科学领域获得就业机会。此外，来自邻近机构的教职员工，如密西西比三角洲社区学院、科奥马社区学院、密西西比河谷大学和美国农业部农业研究站将能够使用该仪器。因此，整个密西西比三角洲将从这次收购中受益，该社区的科学素养将大大提高。

An award is made to the Division of Biological and Physical Sciences at Delta State University (DSU), in Cleveland, Mississippi. The award allows the purchase of a scanning electron microscope (SEM) with an energy dispersive x-ray system (EDX) attachment. Acquiring an SEM will facilitate diverse scientific research investigations pertaining to biology, chemistry, and environmental science at DSU and will be utilized by professors and students. Assorted projects include taxonomic studies such as studying structural details of fossil pollen and spores from Jurassic, Cretaceous, and Quaternary formations throughout the United States, bacillary bands of parasitic nematodes, surface patterns of trichinelloid nematode eggs, leaf stomata and trichomes of native, invasive and naturalized species that infer information on climate change with regards to the local bottomland hardwood forests that are diminishing, and examining structural differences that are correlated to bulk chemical properties and textures of sheep wool when compared to synthetic yarns. Other projects are based on environmental inferences such as examining surface features of yeast to understand gene function in eukaryotic cells when subjected to differences in pH and temperature, analyzing caveolae both in cultured cells and in muscle tissue samples that pertain to obesity, and elemental mapping of heavy metals and absorbed contaminants that occur in local brownfields associated with agricultural and industrial sites so they can be restored for economic development. Travel costs to utilize an SEM will no longer be an issue and many laboratory experiences will be enhanced. Obtaining an SEM will help recruit and retain faculty at DSU with expertise in specialized scientific areas. Faculty will utilize pictures they acquire from the SEM in presentations that they give at scientific meetings such as the Geological Society of America, Botanical Society of America, Southeastern Biology, and so forth. Students also will be able to utilize this instrument for various capstone projects that are associated with the undergraduate science degrees. Additionally, this instrument will be part of regular classroom curriculums in Anatomy and Physiology, Parasitology, Plant Anatomy, Environmental Chemistry, Cell Biology, and Problems in Biology. Students, therefore, will obtain valuable hands-on skills that will increase their admittance into graduate programs, medical schools, and other academic pursuits as well as become marketable in obtaining employment in scientific fields. In addition, faculty and staff from neighboring institutions such as Mississippi Delta Community College, Coahoma Community College, Mississippi Valley University and the USDA-Agricultural Research Station will be able to utilize this instrument. As a result, the entire Mississippi Delta will benefit from this acquisition and scientific literacy of this community will be greatly enhanced.