MRI: Acquisition of a flow cytometer to promote microbe-focused research, training, and teaching at NC State University

An award is made to North Carolina State University (NCSU) to purchase a cytometer for fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS). The acquisition will support new (e.g., Single-cell Technologies) and revamped (e.g., Immunology and High-Throughput Discovery) teaching modules within NCSU's Biotechnology (BIT) program, whose primary goal is to educate and train undergraduate and graduate students in areas of biotechnology. Courses outside BIT will also be supported; the cytometer will enable more modern labs/instruction in undergraduate Genetics, as well as in various environmental microbiology areas (e.g., Aquatic Microbiology, Biological Oceanography, Estuary Biogeochemistry). Cumulatively, >350 students are anticipated to gain experience with flow cytometry technology through these courses. More than 25 graduate students and postdoctoral scholars will gain direct experience with FACS through NCSU research projects utilizing the system. To increase awareness of FACS (and flow cytometry in general) technology among underrepresented undergraduates in the Raleigh, NC, area, FACS & Flow Cytometry workshops will be conducted annually for 4 years. The participants in these workshops will make presentations at the NC Museum of Natural Science to convey their resulting scientific literacy and knowledge to the general public.

The award is heavily devoted to promoting diverse scientific research programs at NCSU, as well as at neighboring universities. Areas of scientific research that will be supported include: aquatic plankton ecology, harmful algal bloom ecology, detection of pollutant degrading bacteria, extremophile microbial ecology, symbiosis, rapid antibiotic and enzyme discovery, genetic identification of dinosaur cells, and bivalve nutrition and microbiomes. At NCSU alone, these research groups represent four colleges and extensive support from current research awards. All results from the research enabled by the FACS system will be disseminated in reputable peer-reviewed publications and at scientific meetings.

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.