MRI: Acquisition of an advanced imaging system at a primarily undergraduate institution to promote research, teaching, and science outreach

宾夕法尼亚州西切斯特大学被授予支持购买共焦成像和全内反射显微镜(TIRF)系统的奖励。这一成像系统将使西切斯特大学和其他地区性机构的研究人员能够进行尖端研究，提供变革性的本科生研究经验，并促进学员的STEM职业发展。新的制度将确保教师能够扩大他们的研究重点，在高质量的期刊上发表文章，并保持对外部资助机会的竞争力。重要的是，这笔助学金上的PI致力于培训本科生使用共焦/TIRF显微镜，以确保他们的学生在学术和专业领域保持竞争力。新的显微镜将被整合到独立的本科研究项目、生物学或物理实验室课程，以及专注于让未被充分代表的群体参与科学领域的推广项目中。新的共聚焦系统实现的研究项目包括：(1)利用体内方法研究叶酸--一种重要的维生素--如何影响胚胎发育；(2)在体外对一个新的核酸结构基序在存在和不存在分子拥挤的情况下进行折叠的研究；(3)发现单细胞寄生虫中线粒体动力学和细胞黏附的新机制；以及(4)使用体外外植体培养来检测非洲爪哇早期胚胎发育过程中的细胞分选行为和细胞-细胞黏附的变化。成像系统将增强教师的研究能力，作为未来倡议的催化剂，并在其广泛的用户基础中促进跨学科和跨机构的研究。这些研究的数据和分析将发表在同行评议的科学期刊上，在科学会议上提交，并用于教育和公共宣传活动。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

An award is made to West Chester University of Pennsylvania to support the acquisition of a confocal imaging and total internal reflection microscopy (TIRF) system. This imaging system will enable researchers at West Chester University and other regional institutions to perform cutting-edge research, provide transformative undergraduate research experiences, and promote STEM career advancement for trainees. The new system will ensure that faculty can expand their research focus, publish in high quality journals, and remain competitive for external funding opportunities. Importantly, the PIs on this grant are committed to training undergraduates in confocal/TIRF microscopy to ensure their students remain competitive in academic and professional fields. The new microscope will be integrated into independent undergraduate research projects, Biology or Physics lab courses, and outreach programs that focus on engaging underrepresented groups in the sciences. Research projects enabled by the new confocal system include: (1) using in vivo approaches to study how folic acid, an essential vitamin, affects embryonic development, (2) biophysical in vitro studies on the folding of a novel nucleic acid structural motif in the presence and absence of molecular crowding, (3) discovering novel mechanisms of mitochondrial dynamics and cell adhesion in single-celled parasites, and (4) using ex vivo explant cultures to examine cell sorting behavior and changes in cell-cell adhesion during early embryonic development in Xenopus laevis. The imaging system will enhance faculty research capabilities, serve as a catalyst for future initiatives, and promote interdisciplinary and cross-institutional research among its broad user base. Data and analyses from these studies will be published in peer-reviewed scientific journals, presented at scientific meetings, and used in both educational and public outreach activities.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.