Targeted Infusion Project: Development of a Nuclear Science Facility for Training of Undergraduate Students in Critical Skills for National Need

历史上的黑人学院和大学本科生计划（HBCU-UP），通过有针对性的输液项目，支持开发，实施和基于证据的创新模式和方法的研究，以提高HBCU本科生的准备和成功，使他们可以追求STEM研究生课程和/或职业。北卡罗来纳州中央大学（NCCU）打算提高其核科学能力，以便在培养该领域本科生的同时进行创新研究。 该项目的结果可能应用于核医学，并支持跨学科的STEM研究。 此外，该项目还提供了机会，让更多来自STEM领域代表性不足群体的学者做好准备。 该项目的成功实施将为同行机构的其他类似项目树立典范。总体目标是建立低能核加速器设施，以增强NCCU的科学研究能力并扩大科学与工程培训。该项目的具体目标是：（1）建立促进跨学科研究的设施;（2）向本科生提供核科学方面的强化技能和辅助技能培训;（3）发展生产和研究医用放射性同位素的研究能力。 用于医学诊断和治疗的放射性同位素通常在核反应堆或回旋加速器中产生。医用最常用的放射性同位素是锝-99m（99 mTc，锝元素的亚稳定同位素）。正在研究生产99 mTc的新方法，包括由长寿命钼同位素100 Mo的粒子引发的反应。这项工作的重点是开发使用低能粒子加速器的技术，这种加速器可以产生高达1百万伏或1兆电子伏的粒子束，以产生99 mTc。感兴趣的反应涉及将100 Mo核转化为99 Mo（少一个中子），方法是用中子束轰击它并从靶中射出两个中子（n +100 Mo <$99 Mo + 2n）。99 Mo是一种不稳定的同位素，衰变为所需的同位素99 mTc，半衰期为67小时。然而，这种反应需要入射中子在12到17百万电子伏特之间。由于我们的低能加速器只能产生高达1 MeV的束流，因此所需的中子是使用二次反应产生的，其中氚靶（氢的最重同位素）被低能（小于1 MeV）较轻的氢同位素氘轰击。该反应反过来产生中子，可用于进一步生产99 Mo/99 mTc同位素。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并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，被认为值得支持。

The Historically Black Colleges and Universities Undergraduate Program (HBCU-UP), through Targeted Infusion Projects, supports the development, implementation, and study of evidence-based innovative models and approaches for improving the preparation and success of HBCU undergraduate students so that they may pursue STEM graduate programs and/or careers. North Carolina Central University (NCCU) intends to enhance its nuclear science capabilities for the purpose of producing innovative research while training undergraduates in the field. Results from the project may have application in nuclear medicine and support interdisciplinary STEM research. Furthermore, the project provides the opportunity to prepare more scholars from underrepresented groups in STEM fields. Successful implementation of the project will establish a model for other analogous programs at peer institutions.The overall goal is to establish a low-energy nuclear accelerator facility to enhance scientific research capabilities and expand science and engineering training at NCCU. The specific goals of the project are to (1) establish the facility to foster interdisciplinary research; (2) provide intensive skills and ancillary skills training in nuclear science to undergraduates, and (3) develop research capabilities in the production and study of medical radioisotopes. The radioisotopes used in the medical diagnosis and treatment are typically produced in nuclear reactors or with a cyclotron. The most commonly used radioisotope for medical needs is technetium-99m (99mTc, a meta-stable isotope of element technetium). Novel methods to produce 99mTc are being investigated, including reactions initiated by particles incident on long-lived molybdenum isotope, 100Mo. This work will focus on development of technology to use low-energy particle accelerator which can produce particle beams up to 1 million-volt, or 1 MeV to produce 99mTc. The reaction of interest involves transforming a 100Mo nucleus into 99Mo (one less neutron) by bombarding it with a neutron beam and ejecting two neutrons from the target (n + 100Mo  99Mo + 2n). The 99Mo is an unstable isotope and decays into the desired isotope 99mTc with a half-life of 67 hours. However, this reaction requires the incident neutron to be between 12 and 17 million-electron-volts. As our low-energy accelerator can only produce beams up to 1 MeV, the desired neutrons are produced using a secondary reaction in which a tritium target (heaviest isotope of hydrogen) is bombarded with a low-energy (less than 1 MeV) lighter isotope of hydrogen, deuterium. This reaction in turn produces neutrons which can be used to further produce 99Mo/99mTc isotopes.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.