MRI: Acquisition of an automated fluorescent microscope and imaging system for undergraduate biology and chemistry research and research training

向圣约瑟夫大学（SJU）颁发了一项采购宽视场自动荧光显微镜和成像系统的合同。该设备增强了SJU生物和化学部门的研究和研究培训。大学生将接触到涉及荧光显微镜在上层本科和研究生课程的项目，并作为他们在SJU的研究经验的一部分。此外，通过SJU与费城地区公共教育系统建立的联系，这一工具将允许加强与当地小学和高中学生的接触。 基于显微镜的教学项目将有助于培养这些学生对自然科学的欣赏，教学生研究，并将告知他们未来的职业兴趣。荧光显微镜是SJU生物和化学系正在进行的研究的重要组成部分。新的显微镜和成像系统将被用作以下项目的关键组成部分：（1）在线虫睡眠期间使用基于荧光的生物传感器对信号分子进行体内成像;（2）脑切片的免疫荧光，以确定睡眠和睡眠剥夺对小鼠记忆的影响;（3）鱼眼睛中适应光和暗的细胞运动的可视化;（4）在鱼类眼睛中使用基于荧光的生物传感器对信号分子进行体内成像。（4）利用玉米黑粉菌（Ustilago maydis）直接观察寄主与病原菌的相互作用。利用该设备进行的其他项目包括：（1）面包酵母染色体端粒的维持;（2）固氮菌S.苜蓿草;和（3）半导体纳米晶体或“量子点”的分析。“这项研究的结果将在地方、国家和国际会议上发表，并发表在同行评审的期刊上。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为值得通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估来支持。

An award is made to Saint Joseph's University (SJU) to purchase a wide-field automated fluorescent microscope and imaging system. This equipment enhances the research and research training within SJU's biology and chemistry departments. College students will be exposed to projects involving fluorescent microscopy in upper-level undergraduate and graduate coursework and as a part of their research experiences at SJU. Additionally, through SJU's established connections with the Philadelphia area's public education system, this instrument will allow for enhanced engagement with local elementary and high school students. Microscopy-based teaching projects will help foster an appreciation among these students for the natural sciences, teach students about research, and will inform their future career interests.Fluorescence microscopy is an essential component of the ongoing research of both the biology and chemistry departments at SJU. The new microscope and imaging system will be used as a key component in the following projects: (1) in vivo imaging of signaling molecules using fluorescence-based biosensors during sleep in nematodes; (2) immunofluorescence of brain slices to determine the impact of sleep and sleep deprivation on memory in mice; (3) visualization of light- and dark-adaptive cellular movements in the eyes of fish; and (4) direct observation of host-pathogen interactions using Ustilago maydis, a fungal pathogen of maize. Other projects using this equipment involve: (1) the maintenance of chromosome telomeres in baker's yeast; (2) oxygen sensing mechanism of the Heme-PAS protein FixL from nitrogen-fixing bacteria, S. meliloti; and (3) analysis of semiconductor nanocrystals or "quantum dots." Results of this research will be presented at local, national, and international conferences, and published in peer-reviewed journals.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.