MRI: Acquisition of a Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) for Soft Materials for the Advanced Microscopy and Imaging Center (AMIC)

田纳西诺克斯维尔大学被授予一项奖励，以支持为高级显微镜和成像中心购买透射式电子显微镜(TEM)。新的瞬变显微镜将配备双轴电子断层扫描，这将创造一个前所未有的三维细胞组织的视角。该系统还将配备高分辨率摄像头，为依赖先进成像能力的各种创新项目提供共享平台。该仪器的大部分研究将由研究生和博士后研究人员进行，他们将获得现代高分辨率成像技术方面的专业知识。新系统也将是高级成像课程的核心工具，学生在该课程中接受研究培训，并有大量的动手时间在瞬变电磁显微镜上。新仪器将支持旨在破译植物细胞-细胞连接形成的研究项目，了解细菌与其动植物宿主之间的相互作用，以及染色体在细胞周期的不同部分如何移动。其他项目将研究蛋白质进入不同细胞器的分子机制，或分析病毒的形态和组装。化学系的研究人员将使用该仪器研究具有广泛潜在应用的先进材料的纳米结构。这些研究的结果将发表在同行评议的科学期刊上，在科学会议上发表，并用于公共宣传或教育活动。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 the University of Tennessee Knoxville to support the acquisition of a transmission electron microscope (TEM) for the Advanced Microscopy and Imaging Center. The new TEM will be equipped for dual-axis electron tomography, which creates an unprecedented view of the three-dimensional cellular organization. The system will also be equipped with a high-resolution camera to provide a shared platform for diverse innovative projects that depend on advanced imaging capabilities. Most of the research on this instrument will be carried out by graduate students and postdoctoral researchers who will gain expertise in modern techniques of high-resolution imaging. The new system will also be the core instrument for advanced imaging course, where students receive research training with significant hands-on time on the TEM. The new instrument will support research projects aimed at deciphering the formation of cell-cell connections in plants, understanding the interactions between bacteria and their animal or plant hosts, and how chromosomes move during different parts of the cell cycle. Other projects will investigate the molecular mechanism of protein import into different cell organelles, or analyze the morphology and assembly of viruses. Researchers in the Chemistry Department will use the instrument to study the nanostructure of advanced materials with a wide range of potential applications. Results from these studies will be published in peer-reviewed scientific journals, presented at scientific meetings, and used in public outreach or education events.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.