MRI: Acquisition of a Transmission Electron Microscope for Research and STEM Education Across the South Puget Sound

一个奖项是由普吉湾大学获得国家的最先进的透射电子显微镜，以推进纳米级研究的18名调查人员在三个主要的本科院校（PUI）：普吉湾大学，华盛顿大学塔科马分校和太平洋路德大学。此外，TEM将提供一个独特的培训机会，估计每年有200名本科生将使用该仪器进行研究，并在各自机构的实验室课程。该TEM的采购将使一个合作设计和运行的夏季多模态显微镜课程为基础的研究体验类，在五个当地机构的学生将参加。该TEM还将在每年约60-80名当地高中生的合作真实研究体验中发挥核心作用。这款用户友好且多功能的显微镜将成为南普吉特湾唯一的TEM，并将推动该地区实验室的大量研究项目。这些项目具有产生创新成果的潜力，可以（1）全面了解细菌生物膜是如何产生的;（2）创造能够有效穿过血脑屏障并留在大脑中的关键新抗体;（3）通过均匀的生物膜形成彻底改变太阳能电池和LED的制造。（4）发现和表征神经元通信和突触稳定性的新形式;（5）导致铋纳米颗粒合成及其生物分子相互作用的突破;（6）揭示味觉受体功能和运动行为之间的联系。这个TEM将使研究，将导致许多高影响力，本科驱动的出版物。总体而言，该TEM的收购将对南普吉特海湾的学科和机构的研究和本科教育产生变革性影响。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为值得通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估来支持。

An award is made to the University of Puget Sound to acquire a state-of-the-art transmission electron microscope to advance the nanoscale research of over 18 investigators at three primarily undergraduate institutions (PUIs): the University of Puget Sound, the University of Washington–Tacoma, and Pacific Lutheran University. Additionally, the TEM will offer a unique training opportunity for an estimated 200 undergraduate students annually who will use the instrument for research and in laboratory courses at their respective institutions. The procurement of this TEM will enable a collaboratively designed and run summer multimodal microscopy course-based research experience class, in which students across five local institutions will participate. This TEM will also play a central role in collaborative authentic research experiences with an estimated 60-80 local high school students each year.The user-friendly and versatile microscope will be the only TEM in the South Puget Sound and will drive a host of research projects across labs within this region. These projects hold the potential to produce innovative results that could (1) lead to a comprehensive understanding of how bacterial biofilms are created; (2) create crucial new antibodies able to efficiently traverse the blood-brain barrier and remain in the brain; (3) revolutionize the manufacturing of solar cells and LEDs through uniform nanocrystal formation; (4) discover and characterize a novel form of neuronal communication and synapse stability; (5) lead to breakthroughs in bismuth nanoparticle synthesis and their biomolecular interactions; and (6) uncover the link between taste receptor function and motor behavior. This TEM will enable research that will result in numerous high-impact, undergraduate driven publications. Overall, the acquisition of this TEM will have a transformative effect on research and undergraduate education across disciplines and institutions in the South Puget Sound.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.