Acquisition of a Rheometer for Interdisciplinary Rheology Research at New Mexico State University

这是一份购买流变仪(Discovery系列HR-2)的小型设备建议书。获得这一仪器将推动新墨西哥州立大学(NMSU)的新兴和成熟研究。高端仪器的可用性，可以对比水更复杂的流体(如聚合物、糊状物、生物液体、悬浮液等)进行准确测量。将在NMSU的材料工程研究力量中培养一个以流变学为中心的社区，并形成一个多学科的“粘弹性测量实验室”的核心？使用该仪器还将支持一些研究人员，他们在复杂流体的流体动力学、化学、生物科学和工程学之间工作。NMSU是一个为拉美裔服务的机构；因此，STEM中代表不足的少数族裔人数相当多。一旦安装了用于研究的仪器，合作的私人投资机构将为本科生和研究生实施教育活动，特别是让代表人数不足的少数群体参与。该流变仪将用于各种本科生和研究生课程。这些设备还将用于通过NMSU NIH Rise计划为研究生提供技术研讨会，接触新墨西哥州农场和牧场遗产博物馆，并改善教师与食品加工、石化、炼油、塑料和复合材料制造等当地行业的互动-所有这些都会影响地区经济。直接受影响的部门包括化学工程、食品科学与技术、化学与生物化学、生物。将用流变仪研究的研究项目包括(I)由粘弹性控制的不对称相分离过程中聚合物链的动力学，(Ii)通过流式细胞仪分选的细胞的流变学，(Iii)健康和癌症实验室培养细胞的流变学，(Iv)机械感官和工程化神经培养的流变学，以及(V)一种新型棉籽粕食品乳化剂的界面流变学。

This is a small equipment proposal to purchase a rheometer (Discovery Series HR-2). Obtaining this instrument will advance emerging and established research at New Mexico State University (NMSU). The availability of a high-end instrument that can give accurate measurements for fluids that are more complex than water (e.g., polymers, pastes, biological fluids, suspensions etc.) will foster a rheology-centered community among the materials engineering research strengths at NMSU, and form the core of a multidisciplinary "Viscoelastic Measurement Laboratory?. Using the instrument will also support a number of research faculty who are working between the disciplines of fluid dynamics of complex fluids, chemistry, biological sciences, and engineering. NMSU is a Hispanic-serving Institution; therefore, the number of underrepresented minorities in STEM is quite large. Upon installing the instrument for use in research, the co-PIs will implement educational activities for undergraduates and graduate students with particular engagement of underrepresented minorities. The rheometer will be used in a variety of undergraduate and graduate classes. The equipment will also be used to provide technical workshops for graduate students through the NMSU NIH RISE program, reach out to the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum, and to improve the interaction of faculty members with local industries in food processing, petrochemicals, refinery, plastics, and composites manufacturing - all of which impact regional economy. The departments to be directly influenced include chemical engineering, food science and technology, chemistry and biochemistry, and biology. The research projects to be studied with the rheometer include (i) the dynamics of polymer chains during asymmetric phase separation, which is controlled by viscoelasticity, (ii) rheology of cells sorted through flow cytometry, (iii) the rheology of healthy and cancerous laboratory-cultured cells, (iv) rheology of mechanosensory organs and engineered neural cultures, and (v) interfacial rheology of a new emulsifier for food products derived from cotton seed meal.