MRI: Acquisition of a Scanning Electron Microscope to Strengthen Research Capabilities at a Primarily Undergraduate Institution

这项主要研究仪器(MRI)奖将使东华盛顿大学(EWU)获得扫描电子显微镜(SEM)，这是一所主要是本科生和地区性的综合性机构。这种仪器将允许教职员工和学生在多个学科(生物、化学、环境科学、地球科学和工程学)进行研究。除了在研究中使用，这种最先进的设备将被整合到几个学术部门的课程中，让学生探索微观世界，其中许多学生在STEM中属于代表性较低的群体。这将是华盛顿州大斯波坎地区(拥有三所大学和三所社区学院)学术机构的唯一扫描电子显微镜，旨在成为多用户设施的一部分。扫描电子显微镜还将支持针对K-12学生和教师的教育推广活动，包括课堂研究体验、虚拟实地考察和亲自实地考察。具有能量色散X射线光谱(EDS)的扫描电子显微镜(SEM)可对固体材料进行纳米级成像和元素分析，可应用于广泛的科学、工程和研究培训活动。扫描电子显微镜将有助于研究1)土壤中的养分和重金属运移，2)地面大气中臭氧的产生，3)植物和动物的进化和石化，以及4)区域火成岩和变质过程的时间和环境条件。与用这些资金购买的样品制备设备一起，扫描电子显微镜将为职业生涯早期的研究人员提供关键的研究工具，促进跨学科研究，并改善EWU和附近大学和社区学院的研究基础设施。EWU的教职员工在指导本科生的研究方面有着很强的记录--他们中的许多人在STEM中的代表性不足。大约50%的EWU学生是第一代大学生，28%的学生认为自己是少数族裔，44%的学生符合佩尔标准。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，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，被认为是值得支持的。

This Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) award will enable the acquisition of a scanning electron microscope (SEM) at Eastern Washington University (EWU), a primarily undergraduate and regional, comprehensive institution. This instrumentation will allow faculty and students to pursue research in multiple disciplines (biology, chemistry, environmental science, geosciences, and engineering). In addition to its use in research, this state-of the-art equipment will be integrated into coursework in several academic departments to allow students, many of whom are in underrepresented groups in STEM, to explore the microscopic world. This will be the only SEM at an academic institution in the greater Spokane, Washington area (which hosts three universities and three community colleges) and is intended to be part of a multi-user facility. The SEM will also support educational outreach activities for K-12 students and teachers including research experiences in the classroom, virtual field trips, and in-person field trips.A scanning electron microscope (SEM) with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) generates nanometer-scale imaging and elemental analysis of solid materials which can be applied to a wide range of scientific, engineering, and research-training activities. The SEM will facilitate the investigation of 1) nutrient and heavy metal transport in soil, 2) ozone production in ground-level atmosphere, 3) plant and animal evolution and fossilization, and 4) timing and environmental conditions of regional igneous and metamorphic processes. Along with sample preparation equipment acquired with these funds, the SEM will provide critical research instrumentation for early-career investigators, foster interdisciplinary research, and improve the research infrastructure at EWU and nearby universities and community colleges. EWU faculty have a strong record of supervising research by undergraduates - many of whom are underrepresented in STEM. About 50% of EWU students are first-generation college students, 28% of the students identify as a minority, and 44% are PELL eligible. The SEM will enable novel hands-on research and training activities in multiple fields across EWU.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.