MRI: Acquisition of a Flow Cytometer, a Multi-User Resource at Appalachian State University

授予阿巴拉契亚州立大学的这一奖项是为了购买一台流式细胞仪，以支持校园内研究、培训和教育活动的扩展。除了促进不同私人投资机构的研究活动外，流式细胞仪还将用于培训本科生和硕士研究生完成他们的独立研究和论文项目。该仪器还将用于教授免疫学实验室，并可能被纳入现有的和新的本科和研究生课程，为来自多个学科的传统学生和代表性不足的学生提供服务，如细胞生物学和生物化学。除了作为阿巴拉契亚州立大学所有系的多用户设备外，该仪器还将用于阿巴拉契亚周边社区的推广目的，包括培训高中生参加暑期项目，如夏季风险投资和未来科学家和医生。使用流式细胞仪完成的项目对文理学院和大学通过为学生提供设备齐全的综合研究和教育环境来提高研究能力和科学素养的更广泛努力至关重要。该奖项支持的研究还将通过制定在室温下稳定抗体的策略，减少通常储存和运输所需的冷藏对环境的影响，从而推进该大学对可持续性的承诺。此外，作为这一奖项的一部分提出的项目有可能为减少营养不良和健康差距提供更广泛的见解。该奖项将支持校园内与免疫学、生物化学、生物能量学、内分泌学和遗传学相关的多名教职员工。具体地说，我们将首先看看锌和铁的缺乏如何影响细胞在接触各种寄生虫和病毒时的生长和分裂方式。我们还将研究天然植物产品如何弥补营养不足和促进细胞生长。第二个项目将研究水疱性口炎病毒(VSV)如何与宿主免疫细胞相互作用，这对于理解如何设计更有效、更有针对性的抗病毒疗法具有重要意义。第三个项目涉及从迟滞中筛选蛋白质稳定其他蛋白质所需的条件，以便它们可以在不冷藏的情况下运输。其他项目将研究炎症、细胞周期和发育，以及植物种群遗传学。所有这些项目都将加强阿巴拉契亚州立大学教职员工在研究方面的合作，并提供扩大综合和跨学科研究关系的机会。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 to Appalachian State University is to purchase a flow cytometer to support the expansion of research, training and educational activities across campus. In addition to facilitating research activities by various PIs, the flow cytometer will be used to train undergraduate and Master's level graduate students in completing their independent research and thesis projects. The instrument will also be used to teach immunology labs and may be incorporated in existing and new undergraduate and graduate courses serving traditional and underrepresented students from multiple disciplines, such as cell biology and biochemistry. In addition to serving as a multi-user equipment for all departments at Appalachian State University, the instrument will be utilized for outreach purposes for surrounding Appalachian communities, including training high school students in established summer programs such as Summer Ventures and Future Scientists and Doctors. The projects completed using the flow cytometer are critical to the broader efforts of the College of Arts and Sciences and the university to improve research capabilities and scientific literacy by providing a well-equipped, integrated research and educational environment to our students. Research supported by this award will also advance the University’s commitment to sustainability by developing strategies to stabilize antibodies at room temperature, reducing the environmental impact of refrigeration typically required for storage and transportation. Furthermore, the projects proposed as part of this award have the potential to offer broader insights into reducing malnutrition and health disparities. This award will support multiple faculty members across campus in projects relating to immunology, biochemistry, bioenergetics, endocrinology, and genetics. Specifically, we will first look at how deficiency in zinc and iron influence the way cells grow and divide when exposed to various parasites and viruses. We will also investigate how natural plant products can compensate for nutrient deficiency and promote cell growth. The second project will investigate how vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) interacts with host immune cells which has relevance for understanding how to design more effective, and targeted, anti-viral therapeutics. The third project involves screening conditions required for a protein from tardigrades to stabilize other proteins so that they can be transported without refrigeration. Other projects will investigate inflammation, cell cycle and development, and plant population genetics. All these projects will enhance collaborations in research among faculty at Appalachian State University and offer opportunities for expansion of integrative and interdisciplinary research relationships.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.