An award is made to Randolph-Macon College to acquire a flow cytometer, an instrument capable of measuring up to 16 molecular properties of thousands of individual cells per second. Access to the flow cytometer will facilitate undergraduate research and training across disciplines and institutions. In particular, research projects supported by the instrument will enable the mentorship and training of over 25 undergraduate research students per year at Randolph-Macon College and Longwood University. An additional 50 students per year will benefit from the inclusion of the instrument in laboratory courses at Randolph-Macon College. Further, the acquisition of the cytometer will enhance outreach activities to Latina high school women enrolled in Randolph-Macon College's NSF-funded Pathways to Science Program and local middle school students. Overall, the addition of the flow cytometer to Randolph-Macon College will enhance the scientific training and literacy of undergraduate students, Latina high school students, local middle school students, and the general public.
The flow cytometer will support research projects directed by seven faculty from two departments and three institutions, spanning a broad range of investigative topics. These topics include: a range of immunology studies, neural physiology, mammalian fertility, the evolution of brewer's yeast, and other topics. Overall these projects will enhance our understanding of the natural world and are likely to generate a significant degree of collaboration between the investigators and senior personnel, enhancing the already strong intellectual community at Randolph-Macon College and Longwood University. Results from projects enabled by the acquisition of the flow cytometer will be communicated in peer-reviewed publications and at regional and national scientific conferences.
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.
