MRI: Acquisition of Ion Mill for TEM Sample Preparation

来自主要研究仪器项目的这一奖项支持史密斯学院收购透射电子显微镜样品制备工具。收购这一工具极大地扩展了史密斯制作用于电子显微镜研究的非生物样本的能力，从而为史密斯的教职员工和学生开辟了新的研究领域，他们是该工具的主要用户。这一工具允许史密斯大学的研究人员为本科生提供在大学头两年进行有意义的材料研究的途径，并为占史密斯学生100%的女性和代表性不足的少数族裔打开大门。众所周知，在大学早期参与研究对留住女性和在科学界代表性不足的少数群体有积极影响。此外，学生还将获得有意义的技能，如如何制作电子显微镜样品，如何使用电子显微镜，以及如何分析结果。这些技能在研究生课程和依赖材料开发的行业中很受重视。收购这一工具还提高了教师在物理和材料科学方面指导所有种族和经济背景的女性本科生的能力。这项来自主要研究仪器计划的奖项支持史密斯学院收购了一种透射电子显微镜(TEM)样品制备工具。收购这一工具极大地扩展了史密斯制作用于电子显微镜研究的非生物样本的能力，从而为史密斯的教职员工和学生开辟了新的研究领域，他们是该工具的主要用户。收购离子磨机将使史密斯学院的科学家能够制作高质量的横截面瞬变显微镜样品，改进质量的平面图样品，并培训史密斯学院的本科生制作横截面样品和改进的平面图样品。收购这一工具极大地改善了当前和未来史密斯教职员工和学生与其他机构的研究人员合作的机会，这些研究人员从事硬/脆材料，特别是硅、砷化镓或其他半导体材料基板上薄膜制造的研究。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。

This award from the Major Research Instrumentation program supports Smith College with the acquisition of Transmission Electron Microscopy sample preparation tool. Acquisition of this tool greatly expands Smith’s capabilities to make non-biological samples for study in the electron microscope, and thus opens new research areas to Smith faculty and students, who are the primary users of the tool. This tool allows researchers at Smith to offer undergraduates accessible pathways into meaningful materials research in their first two years of college and opens doors for women and underrepresented minorities who make up 100% of Smith students. Involvement with research in the early college years is known to positively affect retention of women and under-represented minorities in the sciences. In addition, students gain meaningful skills such as how to make samples for the electron microscope, how to use an electron microscope, and how to analyze the results. These skills are valued in graduate programs and in industries that rely on materials development. Acquisition of this tool also increases the ability of the faculty to mentor women undergraduates of all racial and economic backgrounds in the physical and materials sciences.This award from the Major Research Instrumentation program supports Smith College with the acquisition of a Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) sample preparation tool. Acquisition of this tool greatly expands Smith’s capabilities to make non-biological samples for study in the electron microscope, and thus opens new research areas to Smith faculty and students, who are the primary users of the tool. The acquisition of the ion mill will enable scientists at Smith College to make high quality cross-sectional TEM specimen, improved quality plan-view TEM specimen, and to train Smith College undergraduates to make TEM cross-sectional samples and improved plan-view samples. Acquisition of this tool greatly improves the opportunities for current and future Smith faculty and students to enter into collaborations with researchers at other institutions who engage in research on fabrication of hard/brittle materials and especially thin films on substrates such as silicon, GaAs or other semiconductor materials.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.