MRI: Acquisition of a CytoViva enhanced microscope with hyperspectral imaging capability for multidisciplinary research and education in nanotechnology

纳米科学和技术在与工程（如机械、生物医学）和科学（如化学、生物学）学科相关的基础研究中发挥着越来越大的作用。为了能够在纳米尺度上观察和控制现象，研究人员需要配备适当的工具。该奖项将有助于获得用于在非常小的尺寸上可视化样品的专用显微镜。马歇尔大学的学生和教师将使用这台显微镜来获得一系列重要研究项目的基础知识。这些研究包括研究血管中的钙沉积、检测人体细胞中的有毒纳米粒子、去除污染的水处理以及制药制造。这一尖端仪器将显著促进至少五名教员的学术生涯和研究成果。100多名代表性不足的学生将在教师指导下接受现代工程和科学学科的培训，包括讲座、实验室模块和演示。在本科和研究生课程中纳入纳米科学和技术将有助于培养未来的劳动力，特别是在西弗吉尼亚州不断发展的生物技术领域。该合同使马歇尔大学能够购买带有集成高光谱成像系统的CytoViva增强型高信噪比暗场光学显微镜。该仪器将用于解决该大学高度多学科的纳米科学和纳米技术研究项目中的基础知识缺口。该显微镜产生非常高的信噪比，使纳米级材料的散射检测比标准暗场光学系统高10倍。该技术可以成像无标签纳米颗粒，不需要样品制备。无标签纳米材料可以根据其在目标环境中的独特光谱特性进行光谱鉴定。该显微镜将使马歇尔大学生物医学和机械科学与工程专业的教师能够通过创新的实验室演示和研究与教学的整合来加速他们的研究贡献，并改善教学。研究人员将利用该仪器的能力来检测诸如细胞分化、了解银纳米粒子的环境暴露、使用表面固定化等离子体传感器对RNA进行短核酸的无标记定量、水处理中的纳米颗粒聚集以及纳米流体的布朗运动和聚集等现象。该项目由主要研究仪器计划和促进竞争性研究的既定计划（EPSCoR）共同资助。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，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。

Nanoscience and technology are playing an increasing role in fundamental research related to the engineering (e.g., mechanical, biomedical) and scientific (e.g., chemistry, biology) disciplines. To be able to observe and control phenomena at nanoscale, researchers need to be equipped with appropriate tools. This award will facilitate the acquisition of a specialized microscope used to visualize samples at very small dimensions. Students and faculty at Marshall University will use this microscope to gain fundamental knowledge in a range of important research projects. These include investigating calcium deposit in blood vessels, detecting toxic nanoparticles in human cells, water treatment to remove contamination, and in pharmaceutical manufacturing. This cutting-edge instrument will significantly advance the academic careers and research output of at least five faculty members. More than 100 mostly underrepresented students will be trained, under faculty mentorship, in modern engineering and scientific disciplines both during lectures, laboratory modules, and demonstrations. The incorporation of nanoscience and technology in the undergraduate and graduate curriculum will help training the future workforce, especially in the growing biotechnology arena in West Virginia.This award enables Marshall University to purchase a CytoViva enhanced, high signal-to-noise darkfield optical microscope with an integrated hyperspectral imaging system. This instrument will be used to address fundamental knowledge gaps in highly multidisciplinary nanoscience and nanotechnology research projects at the university. The microscope produces a very high signal-to-noise ratio, enabling scatter detection of nanoscale materials at up to ten times greater than standard darkfield optics. The technology can image label-free nanoparticles and requires no sample preparation. Label-free nanoscale materials can then be spectrally identified based on their unique spectral properties within their target environment. The microscope will enable Marshall faculty in biomedical and mechanical science and engineering to accelerate their research contributions and improve teaching through innovative laboratory demonstrations and the integration of research and pedagogy. Researchers will use the instrument’s capability to examine phenomena such as cell differentiation, understanding the environmental exposure to silver nanoparticles, label-free quantitation of short nucleic acids using Surface immobilized plasmonic sensors for RNA, nanoparticle aggregation in water treatment, and Brownian motion and aggregation of nanofluids.This project is jointly funded by the Major Research Instrumentation Program and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR).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.