Kenneth Carter
$210,132
Dori J Farthing
Nicholas H Warner
Jani E Lewis
Rabeka Alam
SUNY College at Geneseo
New York
Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS)
This award to SUNY Geneseo is supported by the Major Research Instrumentation and the Chemistry Research Instrumentation programs to support and improve research by Professor Kazushige Yokoyama and colleagues Jani Lewis, Dori Farthing, Nicholas Warner and Rabeka Alam. This institution is acquiring a three-dimensional Raman imaging system. In general, a Raman microscope begins with a standard optical microscope but then uses a laser to scan the surface of a sample to implement a chemical image over the whole field of view. The laser wavelengths probe the surface and produce a spectrum which identifies chemical components in the material. This gives useful information on the properties of the components. This is a powerful analytical tool for identifying chemical composition qualitatively and semi-quantitatively of various materials. It is being used in several important research areas. This instrument is an integral part of teaching as well as research and research training of undergraduate students in chemistry, biochemistry and geology at this Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) as well as St John Fisher College. The instrumentation provides direct research experience for students in a variety of courses distributed in various departments and other neighboring universities.<br/><br/>The award of this Raman imaging system is aimed at enhancing research and education at all levels. The science enabled by this instrument provides relevant societal benefits by directly characterizing protein folding over a nanoscale metal interface to detect peptide, self-assembly, delivery, or molecular motor for RNA packaging and by identifying morphologically similar but chemically different proteins at a cellular junction. The instrumentation is also used for characterizing the devitrification process in metallurgical slag to understand potential environmental impacts of slag disposal and for characterizing Mars analogue materials.<br/><br/>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.