Salish Kootenai College: Fluorescence Microscope
Abstract
Salish Kootenai College (SKC) is the Tribal College of the Montana Flathead Indian Reservation, chartered by the Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes in 1976 to provide educational opportunities for Native Americans from the Flathead Reservation and from throughout the United States. SKC is widely regarded as a leader in Native American STEM education, producing graduates who are prepared to provide culturally appropriate services and understand the unique contexts of reservation environments. The Department of Life Sciences is currently the only Tribal College to offer a 4-year, molecular-based Life Sciences degree with active, hands-on research experiences for Native American undergraduate students. This proposal seeks the acquisition of an EVOS FL Auto 2 Imaging System, a user-friendly high-performance automated fluorescence microscope that will enhance research and education capacities at SKC. Fluorescence microscopy is used extensively in the Life Sciences to image biological specimens such as live or fixed cells and tissues. Fluorescence microscopy allows for selective fluorescent staining of biological specimens for biomolecules and cell organelles followed by quantitative imaging analysis. Currently, SKC has no fluorescence microscope capacity on campus. The lack of access to a high performing user-friendly fluorescence microscope has been a barrier for the advancement of research projects and education capacities at SKC. The EVOS FL Auto 2 Imaging System meets all of the cell-imaging needs at SKC since it has interchangeable configurations and simplifies complicated cell-based imaging applications such as live cell imaging, image tiling, and Z-stacking. This fluorescence microscope and accompanying software are known for their user-friendliness, which makes it ideal for undergraduate students of all levels. This fluorescence microscope will immediately benefit five ongoing undergraduate-led research projects in the Life Sciences program. Three projects investigate the impact of environmental heavy metal toxins on prevalent diseases in Native American communities such as cancer, type 2 diabetes, and Parkinson disease. The fourth project investigates the use of Hantavirus-like particles to mimic an immune response in vitro. The fifth project researches misfolding of mutated mitochondrial proteins and their link to known genetic defects in Native communities. Additionally, the EVOS FL Auto 2 Imaging System will be incorporated in Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experiences and capstone projects in the Life Sciences Department. The microscope will be made available as a core facility to other SKC STEM Departments such as but not limited to Secondary Science Education, Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries, Hydrology, and the STEM Academy, an initiative at SKC for dual enrolment of high-achieving Native American high school students in STEM courses. The EVOS FL Auto 2 Imaging System and its scientific applications will be showcased in our community service initiatives such as the Celebration of Research, adult education classes, and outreach to local high schools. This proposal addresses a real gap that prevents the full realization of the research and education goals in STEM programs at SKC. The EVOS FL Auto 2 Imaging System will contribute to the increase in quality and quantity of STEM research and education and will advance the mission of SKC, which is to increase the representation of Native Americans in STEM fields
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Sep 04, 2019
- Source ID
- W911NF1910447
Entities
People
- Wendy Westbroek
Organizations
- Army Contracting Command
- Office of the Secretary of Defense
- Salish Kootenai College