Augmenting Secondary Education with Advanced Microscopy
Figure 2: Independent
research student imaging nanoparticles on the TEM.
Figure 1: Student image of bovine pulmonary artery endothelial (BPAE) cells stained with MitoTracker® Red CMXRos and Alexa Fluor® 488 phallolidin taken on the laser scanning confocal microscope (LSCM).
Te NSIL facility is staffed by members of the district’s
technology department and supported by faculty from the school’s various research disciplines. Tis structure is unique and works in the best interest of the students because no one department or faculty member “owns” the equipment, which leads to a great deal of interdisciplinary research between biotechnology, stem cell research, chemistry, nanotechnology, and materials science.
Student Research in the NSIL Tere are three main pathways for students to be involved
with hands-on experiences in microscopy. Te first is tied to the other research programs at the school. Students involved in research in the Stem Cell, Biotechnology, Nanotechnology, and Chemistry labs use the facility for an imaging or analysis component of the project they are carrying out (Figure 2). Students can use the LSCM, SEM, or TEM to image surface or interior structures of cells undergoing various treatments; confirm the presence, size, or shape of synthesized nano- particles; determine the elemental makeup of a sample; or use the focused ion beam (FIB) to mill a pattern or uncover an underlying layer of a sample. For these students, microscopy may not be central to the research project, but it provides additional data to either support or counter their proposed hypotheses. Te second student pathway involves collaborative projects
with an outside institution. A number of companies, hospitals, and universities have had researchers partner with BCA and the NSIL in order to have access to the technology the school has to offer. Currently, these researchers are able to have their samples prepared, imaged, and analyzed at no cost, on the conditions that a BCA student actively participates in the project and collects all of the data, is authored on any resulting publication, and is allowed to use the data they acquire in a science fair or
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competition (Figure 3). While this benefits both parties, it allows students the opportunity to interact with the PI, exposes them to a current real-world research project, and shows them ways that they can apply the knowledge and research background they get at the school in future career paths. Te third pathway in the NSIL is an internship opportu-
nity for students from other district programs. Seniors in the district must participate in an internship one day a week for the entire year. A select number of students are able to use the NSIL as their internship. During their time in the lab, the students learn theory and applications of each of the instruments, design a research project with a focus on microscopy, carry out the research project, and learn how to properly write a scientific paper and present their findings to peers (Figure 4). In addition, the lab reaches out to the liberal arts faculty
members of the school to try to find ways to get students outside of the research programs involved in short, meaningful
from Bergen County Academies
Figure 3: SEM micrograph of a silicon-silver interface on a photovoltaic device. This work was part of a student collaboration with researchers from a local company.
www.microscopy-today.com • 2011 May
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