Berry College MRI: Aquisition of a Flex Real-Time PCR System for Undergraduate Research and Teaching

贝里学院 MRI：为本科生研究和教学购置 Flex 实时 PCR 系统

基本信息

批准号：
1828540
负责人：
Angela Poole
金额：
$ 9.96万
依托单位：
Berry College
依托单位国家：
美国
项目类别：
Standard Grant
财政年份：
2018
资助国家：
美国
起止时间：
2018-10-01 至 2021-09-30
项目状态：
已结题

来源：
https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1828540&HistoricalAwards=false
关键词：
Berry College MRI Aquisition Flex

项目摘要

An award is made to Berry College to increase the research productivity of faculty and enhance undergraduate research and teaching through the acquisition of an Applied Biosystems QuantStudio 7 Flex Real-Time PCR system. Over the three-year grant period, the QuantStudio 7 will enable faculty to engage an estimated 77 undergraduate research assistants and 312 undergraduates in coursework, teaching them modern molecular techniques and comprehensively preparing them for graduate school and careers in science. This instrument will create opportunities for undertaking new laboratory exercises and engaging in research within the classroom in a diverse set of courses, including Molecular Biology, Developmental Biology, Genetics of Domesticated Animals, and Chromatin, Epigenetics, and Gene Expression. The QuantStudio 7 will also facilitate partnerships between Berry and other institutions, including Dalton State College (an HSI) and Colorado State University. In partnership with Armuchee High School (serving economically diverse students) and the Georgia Governor's Honors Program (a summer program held on the Berry campus that serves Georgia's top science students from diverse backgrounds), Berry will provide an estimated 348 high school students with early exposure to molecular research instrumentation and methods, which will help build their confidence in their ability to pursue STEM majors and careers. Given the impact of Berry's activities using the QuantStudio 7, as well as the research and training planned by shared users in the Northwest Georgia region, this instrument will play a role in producing the qualified STEM workers the state needs to meet projected STEM employment growth. It will also further Berry's strategic goal to graduate students who are "life ready" prepared to be agents of improvement through the integration of rigorous academic learning with meaningful applied learning experiences and a heart for service. The QuantStudio 7 will foster and facilitate the OneHealth approach to research, i.e., transdisciplinary collaborations between physicians, veterinarians, epidemiologists, ecologists, climatologists, medical researchers, and numerous other specialties, as dictated by the specific problem being studied. In the immediate future, the QuantStudio 7 will bring together the project's four PIs a diverse group that includes three early-career investigators and other faculty who collectively are studying coral reef ecosystem health, wildlife and domesticated animal health, and parasites related to human health. With access to a modern real-time PCR system, the PIs' research will advance understanding of a broad spectrum of molecular mechanisms. Specifically, the PIs will use the instrument to study potential immune genes and endocrine disruption in cnidarians to better understand how these organisms respond to a changing environment; develop an ideal method for cryopreserving eggs, sperm, and embryos of goat and deer species for agricultural purposes and wildlife conservation; and determine how genetic variants affect early pregnancy and thus facilitate genetic selection programs to improve cow fertility. The PIs will disseminate their research findings through submission of papers to peer-reviewed journals and presentations at national and international meetings. Overall, the QuantStudio 7's robust capabilities will advance future investigations in interconnections between human, animal, and environmental health.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.

贝瑞学院获得了一项奖励，旨在通过购买 Applied Biosystems QuantStudio 7 Flex 实时 PCR 系统来提高教师的研究生产力并加强本科生的研究和教学。在为期三年的资助期内，QuantStudio 7 将使教师能够聘请大约 77 名本科生研究助理和 312 名本科生参与课程作业，向他们传授现代分子技术，并为他们进入研究生院和从事科学职业做好全面准备。该仪器将为开展新的实验室练习和在课堂上参与各种课程的研究创造机会，包括分子生物学、发育生物学、家养动物遗传学以及染色质、表观遗传学和基因表达。 QuantStudio 7 还将促进 Berry 与其他机构之间的合作关系，包括道尔顿州立学院（HSI）和科罗拉多州立大学。与 Armuchee 高中（为经济多样化的学生提供服务）和佐治亚州州长荣誉计划（在 Berry 校园举办的暑期项目，为佐治亚州来自不同背景的顶尖理科学生提供服务）合作，Berry 将为大约 348 名高中生提供早期接触机会分子研究仪器和方法，这将有助于建立他们对自己追求 STEM 专业和职业能力的信心。考虑到 Berry 使用 QuantStudio 7 开展的活动的影响，以及乔治亚州西北部地区共享用户计划的研究和培训，该仪器将在培养该州所需的合格 STEM 工人方面发挥作用，以满足预计的 STEM 就业增长。它还将进一步推进贝瑞的战略目标，即通过将严谨的学术学习与有意义的应用学习经验和服务之心相结合，让研究生“做好生活准备”，成为进步的推动者。 QuantStudio 7 将促进和促进 OneHealth 的研究方法，即根据正在研究的具体问题，医生、兽医、流行病学家、生态学家、气候学家、医学研究人员和许多其他专业之间的跨学科合作。在不久的将来，QuantStudio 7 将将该项目的四名 PI 聚集在一起，组成一个多元化的团队，其中包括三名早期职业研究人员和其他教员，他们共同研究珊瑚礁生态系统健康、野生动物和驯养动物健康以及与人类健康相关的寄生虫。通过使用现代实时 PCR 系统，PI 的研究将增进对广泛分子机制的理解。具体来说，PI将使用该仪器研究刺胞动物的潜在免疫基因和内分泌干扰，以更好地了解这些生物体如何应对不断变化的环境；开发一种理想的方法来冷冻保存山羊和鹿的卵子、精子和胚胎，以用于农业目的和野生动物保护；并确定遗传变异如何影响早期妊娠，从而促进遗传选择计划以提高奶牛的生育力。 PI 将通过向同行评审期刊提交论文以及在国内和国际会议上发表演讲来传播他们的研究成果。总体而言，QuantStudio 7 的强大功能将推动未来对人类、动物和环境健康之间相互关系的研究。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。