MRI: Acquisition of a high-energy micro-computed tomography scanner for inter- and multi-disciplinary STEM research

授予纽约理工学院（NYIT）一个奖项，以获得一个微型计算机断层扫描仪（micro-CT），用于三维可视化，重建和分析有机和无机物体。Micro-CT利用X射线在微观水平上揭示物体的内部结构，而无需对其进行切片。它在生物学、工程学和医学领域培育了无数变革性项目。此次收购将使高中，本科和研究生以及公众有机会参与科学，技术，工程和数学（STEM）。参与该计划的教师将通过NYIT的科学技术入门计划（STEP）指导高中学生，该计划将经济弱势和传统上代表性不足的学生引入STEM领域。此外，工程专业的教师和学生将把基于CT的技术纳入辅助技术就业培养资源（CREATE）计划，以开发在工作环境中帮助残疾人的技术。为了与更广泛的社区合作，NYIT将与创新科学艺术竞赛“通过透镜倡议”合作，展示使用微型CT数据的学生研究的引人注目的3D可视化。进入微型CT设施将刺激生物学，古生物学，纳米技术，工程和生命科学的突破性研究，并将促进当地大学之间的合作网络，最终加强更大的科学界。在过去的十年中，Micro-CT技术已广泛应用于考古学、生物学和材料科学。此外，最近的方法学进步，如软组织的对比度增强CT成像，为未来提供了持久和新颖的应用。纽约理工学院新的微型CT设施将对长岛的科学界产生重大影响，长岛是美国学术最密集的地区之一，拥有庞大而多样化的研究社区。来自长岛和纽约大都会区的32名研究人员已经提交了扫描项目。这些项目将利用微CT成像技术对尺寸跨越5个数量级（从纳米水泥到恐龙骨骼）、2亿年以及各种有机和无机材料的结构进行成像。在纽约理工学院，这些研究将促进跨学科的合作，并提供优秀的研究机会，在所有学术水平的学生，促进未来的科学进步在纽约大都会地区和超越。这个奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得通过评估使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准的支持。

An award is made to the New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) to acquire a micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) scanner for visualizing, reconstructing, and analyzing organic and inorganic objects in three dimensions. Micro-CT utilizes X-rays to reveal the internal structure of objects at the microscopic level, without having to section them. It has fostered countless transformative projects in biology, engineering, and medicine. The acquisition will enable opportunities to engage high school, undergraduate, and graduate students, as well as the general public, in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Faculty involved in this program will mentor high school students through NYIT's Science & Technology Entry Program (STEP), which introduces economically disadvantaged and traditionally underrepresented students to STEM fields. In addition, faculty and students in Engineering will incorporate CT-based technology into the Cultivating Resources for Employment with Assistive Technology (CREATE) program to develop technologies that help people with disabilities in their work environments. To engage with the broader community, NYIT will collaborate with "Through the Lens Initiative", an innovative science art competition, to showcase compelling 3D visualizations of student research using micro-CT data. Access to the micro-CT facility will stimulate groundbreaking research in biology, paleontology, nanotechnology, engineering, and life sciences and will foster a network of collaborations among local universities, ultimately strengthening the larger scientific community. Micro-CT technology has been widely adopted across archaeological, biological, and materials sciences over the past decade. Moreover, recent methodological advancements, such as contrast-enhanced CT imaging of soft tissues, promise enduring and novel applications for the future. The new micro-CT facility at NYIT will have a significant impact on the scientific community on Long Island, one of the most academically dense areas in the U.S.A with an enormous and diverse research community. Thirty-two researchers from Long Island and the New York Metropolitan Region have already submitted projects for scanning. These projects will utilize micro-CT imaging on structures that span five orders of magnitude in size (from nano-cement to dinosaur bones), 200 million years, and a wide spectrum of organic and inorganic materials. At NYIT, these studies will promote interdisciplinary collaboration across three colleges and provide outstanding research opportunities for students at all academic levels, promoting future scientific advancements within the New York Metropolitan Region and beyond.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.