Past Awards: Research Infrastructure Investment Program

Comprehensive Lab Animal Monitor System (CLAMS)-HC for the Study of Mouse Metabolism

Alessandro Bartolomucci, IBP Physiology Administration, Medical School
Matching funds: Medical School; Medical School; Medical School

The Oxymax/CLAMS-HC: Metabolic Monitor for Home Cages (Columbus Instruments) requested is the newest generation whole animal indirect calorimetry system. The instrument provides high throughput, high sensitivity, and a physiological platform that provide free movement to the animals while enabling measures of food intake and activity. The system is completed by environmental enclosures to regulate illumination and temperature in a wide and physiological range. This instrument will replace an 12-year-old system whose components are made of older technology and is no longer fully supported by the vendor. Additionally, in comparison to the existing system the new system offers: Higher speed sampling to generate higher resolution of O2 and CO2 reading; internal feeding monitoring. The indirect calorimetry system is a service offered by the Physiology Core. More than 20 laboratories depend on the current instrument, and their research would be catastrophically affected if the instrument failed. Among those laboratories, over 80% are NIH funded investigators that are the major or minor users in this proposal. Being able to provide these investigators with the newest Oxymax/CLAMS-HC would protect their current capabilities of metabolic phenotyping and expand the range of experiments they can perform including measures of eating behavior, cardiovascular functions, and many others.

Replacement of Greenhouse Lighting with Energy Efficient LEDs

Benjamin Clasen, AES Administration Operations, Ag Experiment Station
Matching funds: Ag Experiment Station; NON-UMN

The MAES manages 85 shared greenhouse zones which support Research, Teaching, Extension, and Outreach from at least 10 college departments representing three University colleges. Greenhouses require “grow lighting” to extend day length and provide light quantities which mimic ambient summer light levels. The plant growth lighting in these spaces is comprised of 1,578 conventional HID (High Pressure Sodium / Metal Halide) lamps. This outdated technology consumes 35-80% more electricity and provides approximately 12 percent less light quantity than newer LED technology. Moreover, LED lights have lifespans of 50,000 hours compared to 18,000 hours for conventional HID lamps. Installation of LED lighting would result in disposal of fewer lamps, reduced labor costs for replacing lamps in addition to reduced recurring (electric) utility expenses and reduced down-time due to frequently failing lamps. The University of Minnesota Climate Action Plan (2023) states its goal to “reduce site energy use intensity (kbtu/ft2-yr) from existing buildings by 35% by 2033 from 2019 baseline.” Energy emissions account for 74% of total University emissions. Funding this proposal would enable the MAES to significantly reduce energy emissions while providing greenhouse users equal or greater light quantity/quality to support their plant growth work.

Ultra-high-throughput sequencing of microbial diversity and ecology: averting the next pandemic

Peter Crawford, MS Research/Facilities, Medical School
Matching funds: Medical School

The University of Minnesota needs a production-scale sequencer, as prior technologies have become obsolete. Drs. Peter Crawford and Michael Gale (incoming director of the University of Minnesota Institute on Infectious Disease, UMIID) seek funds for the Ultima Genomics UG 100, a next-generation sequencer offering affordable, rapid, and accurate genome sequencing. This instrument will revolutionize research, enabling high-quality human genome sequencing at $100 and other genomes at under $10, matching the needs for single-cell and spatialomics technologies. It's backed by silicon-based technologies and AI, field-validated by leading genomics centers. Our proposal unites various UMN departments and collegiate units, and will place the instrument in the UMN Genomics Center (UMGC), ensuring broad utilization and technology exchange. The UG 100 drops sequencing costs and increases speed without the need for large sample runs, unlike the costly and slower turnaround of previous models. This sequencer aligns with the UMGC's university-wide mission, underpinning studies from clinical applications to public health responses, and would position UMN at the cutting edge of genomics, aiding in competitive research and rapid pathogen outbreak management. Matching funds and structured oversight guarantee the efficient use and sustainability of this essential infrastructure.

Improving large scale iPSC line banking and distribution infrastructure to support intercollegiate multi-user programs

James Dutton, GCD MS Stem Cell Institute, Medical School
Matching funds: Medical School

Funding to improve infrastructure at the Stem Cell Institute that supports cross-collegiate projects generating or utilizing large cell banks of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). These initiatives rely on resources and technical expertise to receive, expand and store the iPSC banks, and to distribute cells or assist with differentiation for cross-departmental research groups. The scale of the inventories and activities has outgrown the current Stem Cell Institute infrastructure devoted to these projects. We request RIO funds to purchase new cryopreservation and cell banking equipment, and to support technical effort for improved institutional support for large-scale iPSC projects enabling new competitive research programs. iPSC reprogramming generates pluripotent stem cells that retain the donor genotype and can be differentiated into cell types for disease modeling, drug testing, making organoids and microtissues, and for developing new cell therapies. Example UMN projects: 1) Population level studies using iPSC libraries from very large donor cohorts for studying risk and diseases across diverse populations. 2) Generating large biobanks of iPSC lines for disease research eg: Childhood cancer patients, iPSC-RPE biobank. 3) Research grade iPSC banks made from UMN cGMP-compliant iPSC lines for distribution to groups intending to transition to our clinical grade cell lines.

Consolidation of the Center for Metabolomics and Proteomics (CMSP)

Timothy Griffin, BMBB Med Regulatory Biochem, Medical School
Matching funds: College of Biological Sciences; College of Food, Ag & Natural Resource Sciences; Medical School

The Center for Metabolomics and Proteomics (CMSP) seeks consolidation to the Cargill building. Since 2002, the CMSP has occupied space in Minneapolis (Molecular Cellular Biology) and St. Paul (Gortner). CMSP now annually serves ~90 faculty from 68 departments across seven colleges, supporting research sponsored by the NIH, NSF and other sources. The current CMSP space is full, unable to add new cutting-edge instrumentation without costly structural upgrades. Furthermore, lost staff time and effort due to cross-campus transit decreases operational efficiency, and delivery of services suffers. As a solution, CMSP seeks consolidation to Cargill 140, unoccupied instrumentation lab space, along with available second floor wet lab space. We request funding for infrastructure upgrades in Cargill 140 required to meet CMSP instrumentation specifications and accommodate addition of new technology platforms. Overall, CMSP consolidation will improve delivery of research services to UMN investigators, make operations more cost-effective, thereby maintaining low user-fees, and enable long-term availability of cutting-edge metabolomics and proteomics technologies critical to advancing diverse research projects. This request directly falls within the scope of the Research Infrastructure Investment Program, supporting efforts to “consolidate…service centers” with the objective of “improving research infrastructure services, equipment, or cost effectiveness” for the UMN community.

Addressing a University-wide Capability Gap in Profiling and Imaging with Two 3D Laser Scanning Microscopes

Shaul Hanany, CSENG School of Physics & Astronomy, College of Science & Engineering
Matching funds: College of Science & Engineering

State of the art research by University investigators is impeded by an institutional capability gap: the absence of a fast, non-destructive imaging of samples with lateral sizes between 1 micrometer and ~50 cm with a planar resolution of 0.25 micrometer and with a vertical resolution of 0.1 nanometer. Two populations of researchers will benefit from closing this gap, those who fabricate devices inside the Minnesota Nano Center’s (MNC) cleanroom, and others in many disciplines for whom accessing the cleanroom would be a hindrance. We are proposing to purchase and operate two Keyence VK-X3050 3D Laser Scanning Microscopes. They will each be installed in and managed by MNC and CSE’s Characterization Facility (CharFac). For the microscope at CharFac we will build a custom stage capable of handling samples up to ~50 cm in diameter. With its fast, non-destructive imaging spanning lengths scales and resolutions not available by any other instrument on campus, the VK-X3050s will accelerate current projects and will enable new directions of advancement for researchers in five colleges and schools. The unique large sample stage, the like of which does not exist in neighboring states, would strengthen UMN’s stature as a regional center of expertise and capabilities.

Full Spectrum Cell Sorters for the UMN Flow Cytometry Resource

Marc Jenkins, MICRO Microbiology Admin, Medical School
Matching funds: Medical School

Funds are requested to purchase two full spectrum cell sorters to replace two conventional cell sorters that have reached the end of their reliable life spans. These new devices will provide state of the art cell sorting based on the new concept of full spectrum flow cytometry. The devices will be housed in University of Minnesota (UMN) Flow Cytometry Resource (UFCR) facilities for use on a first come first served basis by trained users. Many of the UMN papers published in the most prestigious scientific journals have relied on cell sorting to isolate specific cell subsets from complex mixtures. Investment by RIO in this technology will help keep UMN biological research at the cutting edge for years to come.

Automated Near-Infrared and Optical Imaging and Spectroscopy with the Mt. Lemmon Observing Facility (MLOF) Telescope

Patrick Kelly, CSENG School of Physics & Astronomy, College of Science & Engineering

Each second, a luminous, fatal explosion of a star, or the merger of neutron stars occurs somewhere across the observable Universe. Without these, many of the elements in the periodic table, and life as we know it, would not exist. Fundamental questions about the synthesis of elements in these explosions, and what powers these explosions, particularly at their early stages, have persisted partly because of the difficulty of observing them shortly after eruption. We propose to upgrade the University of Minnesota's 60-inch telescope near the summit of Mt. Lemmon, AZ to enable automated multi-wavelength imaging and spectroscopy of supernova explosions and mergers of neutron stars within seconds of detection. Robotic operation, and always mounted optical and near-infrared cameras will support interdisciplinary collaborations initiated by the Data Science in Multi-Messenger Astrophysics (DSMMA) program which brings together astrophysics, data science, statistics, and machine learning faculty across four departments and two colleges. A new ability to acquire rapid, simultaneous optical and near-infrared imaging and spectroscopy will yield unique data on young explosions, identified using machine learning from gravitational-wave signals and upcoming national wide-field optical telescope surveys as well as the UMN-led Total-Coverage Ultrafast Response to Binary-Mergers Observatory (TURBO) facility.

An Advanced Nanoparticle Analysis Tool for the Minnesota Nano Center

Steven Koester, CSENG ECE Admin, College of Science & Engineering
Matching funds: College of Science & Engineering

The Minnesota Nano Center (MNC) is proposing to acquire a new instrument for the analysis of nanoparticles, i.e., those particles smaller in size than one micrometer. Such particles are of interest to a wide range of fields, from material science and chemical engineering to medicine and the life sciences to the environmental sciences and agriculture, The requested instrument uses nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA), an advanced technique that can quickly determine particle size distribution and concentration in an automated, reliable process. The NTA tools under consideration also provide measurements of other key particle properties and will allow researchers to use particle labeling techniques similar to those used with fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry. The MNC has a ten-year-old previous generation NTA instrument that is currently the most heavily used tool in MNC’s Nanomaterials Lab. Its age and heavy use are contributing to more frequent failures and instrument downtime, suggesting that the tool may soon be irreparable. Hence, the MNC is requesting funds to replace and upgrade this lab workhorse instrument. The new NTA will be housed in a core lab and available for use by all qualified users from across the University.

Advancing the capabilities of the St. Anthony Falls Laboratory Main Channel Facility

Jeffrey Marr, CSENG St Anthony Falls Lab - SAFL, College of Science & Engineering
Matching funds: College of Science & Engineering

This project will focus on rehabilitation and updates to SAFL’s most utilized indoor research channel - The Main Channel. The Channel is one of the largest hydraulic research channels in the nation with a width of 2.8 m, depth of 1.8 m, and length of 100 m. The Channel sources water directly from the Mississippi and can operate around-the-clock with volumetric flow rates up to 8.5m3/s. This investment in SAFL’s Main Channel will add advanced control and monitoring systems to provide researchers precision control on flow rates, depth, and other hydraulic variables. The current control systems are original to the inception of this laboratory in 1938, and limit researchers’ ability to reliably operate the facility. In addition to the control and monitoring updates, this project will provide rehabilitation to the sediment recirculation system, which is in need of repair. By making these investments, the Main Channel will improve usability and expand the range of collaborative research that can be supported within the facility. The updated Main Channel facility will support the following research areas: hydropower and marine energy; open-channel hydraulics; fluvial sediment transport; deterrence/barriers of aquatic invasive species; fluvial transport, sorting, and burial of bones in the fossil record; as well as other areas.

Upgrades for the University of Minnesota Zebrafish Core Facility

Mark Masino, NSCI Neuroscience Admin, Medical School
Matching funds: College of Biological Sciences; School of Dentistry; Medical School; College of Science & Engineering

The University of Minnesota Zebrafish Core Facility (UMNZCF) is integral component of the research and teaching missions of the university. The UMNZCF houses approximately 10,000 zebrafish and the staff ensures daily feedings of adult and larval zebrafish, mating/breeding, collections of embryos, provides husbandry services and maintains microscopy resources for investigators who use zebrafish as a model organism. In 2018, Dr. Masino was awarded an NIH Supplemental award (3R01NS094176-03S1, $65,000) and a Research Infrastructure Investment Proposal award (#182747, $60,000) from the Office of the Vice President for Research, which were used to replace the outdated Reverse Osmosis and Recirculating Water systems. These systems provide clean water free of salts or impurities, which is essential in maintaining a healthy fish colony. The purpose of this RIIP application is to request funds to purchase new tanks (housing and breeding) and pressure injector systems (x2), which will directly benefit the facility users and the university by enhancing research productivity and will be reflected in the numbers of manuscripts published, federal grants awarded, and an increase in the number of trainees (graduate students and postdoctoral fellows) in the user’s labs.

LHI Confocal Imaging System

Jop van Berlo, MED Cardiology Division, Medical School
Matching funds: Medical School

We are requesting the aid of the RIO towards the purchase of a new confocal imaging system. The Lillehei Heart Institute (LHI) owns an obsolete, >15-year-old confocal imaging system that is no longer operational. Imaging technology has dramatically improved in the past 2 decades. After considering the current availability of equipment within the UIC, we selected a confocal imaging system that would fulfill the imaging needs of LHI researchers. We selected the Leica MICA imaging system to replace the obsolete Zeiss LSM510 metaconfocal system. The Leica MICA is an advanced imaging system that requires minimal training and does not allow for system modifications, such as swapping out objectives or changing filter cubes. This guarantees relative ease of use, which is in contrast to the high-end imaging equipment operated by the UIC. The system comes with both widefield and confocal microscopy. The Leica MICA imaging system has a major advantage in its light-path design, using a white laser to illuminate the sample, followed by separating the light into 4 paths and 4 separate detectors. This eliminates the requirement of splitters and mechanical shutters and accelerates imaging by a factor 2-3. The new Leica MICA will accelerate research in the Lillehei Heart Institute and provide a long-term confocal imaging solution.

Modernizing data infrastructure of the Minnesota Center for Twin and Family Research

Scott Vrieze, Psychology, College of Liberal Arts
Matching funds: Office of Academic Clinical Affairs; College of Education & Human Development; College of Liberal Arts

The MCTFR is a 30-year research program involving multiple large longitudinal cohorts of nuclear families with twins and adoptees (total N > 20,000) and psychological assessments including interviews, questionnaires, physiology, genetics, and brain imaging. The MCTFR has engaged investigators across departments, colleges, and even universities, supported almost entirely by R01-level grants from NIH, totalling over $120,000,000. As the scale and scope of the Center have expanded, the original data infrastructure is no longer sufficient or readily conducive to efficient analysis. Faculty, graduate students, and undergraduate students alike have a steep learning curve in their use of the data, affecting research output and increased difficulty in managing ongoing data collections or generating preliminary data to support new extramural funding. The work proposed herein represents a crucial first step in the modernization of current data infrastructure, and will lay the foundation for subsequent external funding not only for continued data collection and knowledge generation, but for continued infrastructure development.

Equipment Request for an Isothermal Titration Calorimeter

Courtney Aldrich, Institute for Therapeutics Discovery & Development, College of Pharmacy
Matching funds: Pharmacy

This equipment grant is requesting funds for the purchase of an isothermal titration microcalorimeter (ITC) for the determination of ligand receptor dissociation constants and thermodynamic parameters by a group of very productive NIH and NSF-funded researchers in chemistry, medicinal chemistry, biochemistry, molecular biology and biophysics, chemical engineering and material sciences, and medicine. These investigators are involved in NIH and NSF funded research that deals either with the design and synthesis of small molecules for potential drug targets or the utilization of small molecule ligands to study biological processes associated with various diseases. Their research addresses such diverse areas as male contraceptives, antibacterial drug resistance, heart failure, cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, carcinogenesis, and HIV. This instrument will replace a 10-year instrument, which is no longer functioning and has exceeded its useful lifetime (the previous instrument logged more than 10,000 hours of service). The Institute of Therapeutics and Drug Discovery (ITDD) will maintain the instrument, provide user training of the ITC, and advertise the instrument availability to UMN users.

Purchase of an Aquilos 2 Focused Ion Beam Transmission Electron Microscope for Tomographic Applications

David Bernlohr, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics, College of Biological Sciences
Matching funds: Academic Clinical Affairs

We propose acquiring an Aquilos2, a cryogenic Focused Ion Beam Scanning Electron Microscope (cryoFIB/SEM) for the analysis of materials, surfaces and biologics (cells, organoids, and tissues) by cryoelectron microscopy. This equipment will be the first of its kind in the state of Minnesota and will expand the range of samples that can be imaged at high-resolution. CryoFIB/SEM uses an ion beam to create ultra-thin slices of samples can then be examined under a cryotransmission electron microscope to study the structure and composition of samples at very high resolution. CryoFIB is particularly useful for studying biological samples as it can preserve the delicate structure of cells and tissues. This purchase will fill a statewide technological gap that restricts the study of samples in their native context and at the molecular level. This purchase will also provide training opportunities for University of Minnesota students and staff on cryoFIB/SEM imaging thereby enhancing their career trajectory. The cryoFIB will be placed into the College of Science and Engineering Characterization Facility ISO so as to provide ready access to both U of MN and external users. Overall, this purchase will enable high-quality research and scholarship activities that enables the research and teaching mission of our University.

MALDI/TOF-MS for Protein, Polymer and Microbial Characterization and Identification

Joe Dalluge PhD, Chemistry Administration, College of Science & Engineering
Matching funds: Biological Sciences, Medical School, Pharmacy, Faculty Funds

The proposed MALDI/TOF mass spectrometer will replace a 10-year-old, increasingly unreliable Sciex 5800 MALDI/TOF instrument no longer supported by the manufacturer. MALDI/TOF-MS has existed in the CHEM Mass Spectrometry Laboratory for over 20 years and has been (until recent system failures) employed by over 150 users from UM, other academic institutions, and corporations. In addition to providing capability for rapid structural characterization of a range of chemical species from small molecules to peptides, proteins, and synthetic polymers, the proposed instrument will establish the capability for rapid microbial identification by MALDI-MS, a technology that does not currently exist at UM. The combination of high-speed, high-sensitivity MALDI/MS capability will provide protein and polymer structure confirmation, compound screening, and rapid microbial identification on an open-access platform to externally funded principal investigators representing more than 6 departments, 4 colleges, The Medical School, and 4 interdisciplinary centers at UM. Additional researchers will be recruited assuring long-term impact of the proposed instrument in advancing research at UM and beyond. The requested platform will foster interdisciplinary and intercollegiate collaboration that promises to advance our understanding of the chemical and microbial mechanisms of disease, and accelerate development of new materials and next-generation therapeutic, diagnostic, and environmental agents.

Ultra-High Performance Liquid Chromatography to Improve Throughput for Targeted Metabolomics for UofM Investigators

Candace Guerrero, Mass Spectrometry Protemic, College of Biological Sciences
Matching funds: Biological Sciences

The Center for Metabolomics and Proteomics (CMSP), previously the Center for Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics, is seeking funds to purchase a state-of -the-art UHPLC to update/expand our LC-MS services provided to UofM investigators. Targeted metabolomics services are a frequent request from UofM researchers investigating how metabolite dynamics play a role in biological physiology. To support demand, the CMSP is expanding the role we play in metabolomics by updating and building new sensitive, robust, reproducible, and cost-effective workflows desired by the scientific community. To do so, the CMSP would like to replace aging instrumentation, which cannot meet the demands of UofM researchers. The CMSP is requesting a UHPLC with considerable advancements in technology that will impact services critical to UMN researchers: 1) hypothesis driven targeted metabolomics; 2) providing biocrates’ metabolomic profiling technology; 3) “discovery” metabolomics acquired with targeted LC-MS. This technology will allow greater understanding of the scientific questions researchers ask by improving our understanding of basic biology and clinical studies of biomedical importance.

Investing in Growth Chambers to Foster Innovative Plant Research

Joleen Hadrich, Plant Growth Facility, College of Food, Agriculture & Natural Resources Science
Matching funds: MN Agricultural Experiment Station

The MAES manages 144 growth chambers on the St. Paul campus utilized by more than 30 researchers annually from CFANS, CBS, CSE, CVM, and USDA to investigate plant growth and development of diverse plant species. The plant growth chambers are a shared resource managed by the MAES through an ISO rate, which limits MAES' ability to replace units as they age. Currently ? of the units are Conviron E15 chambers, which are no longer manufactured. Maintenance for these units is difficult due to the lack of mechanical and electrical components, including controllers, coupled with increasing repair costs. This proposal allows MAES to make an impactful investment by purchasing 5-10 plant growth chambers at one point in time to facilitate innovative research in controlled environments for meaningful and repeatable science. Additionally, replacing these units addresses environmental compliance concerns regarding R22 refrigerant used in Conviron E15 Growth Chambers, which was banned by EPA in 2020. Investing in new growth chambers will allow us to continue to recruit future faculty that otherwise may not come to UMN due to aging and outdated research capacity.

Reducing Methane Emissions in Dairy Production Systems

Bradley Heins, West Central ROC, Morris, College of Food, Agriculture & Natural Resources Science
Matching funds: Food, Agriculture & Natural Resources Science, Faculty Funds

The funds will assist with the purchase of the GreenFeed System for cows and heifers at the University of Minnesota West Central Research and Outreach Center (WCROC) dairy. The system will allow us to expand our research potential to measure greenhouse gas emissions for cows and heifers and will allow faculty at the University of Minnesota to conduct more precise research studies of individual dairy cattle. The system will also allow us to attract external funding with industry groups and federal funding. This equipment will provide accurate measures of enteric methane, carbon dioxide, hydrogen, and oxygen emissions of individual dairy cattle. Furthermore, this system will allow us to determine measurements to reduce climate change effects of dairy cattle productions systems. The GreenFeed system will upgrade the current precision technology and feeding research for dairy cattle at the WCROC dairy. Information will be provided in real time with computer software and will provide big data for research studies. With the installation of these precision technologies, the WCROC dairy program will be able to increase research capabilities and increase collaborations with researchers within and outside of the University of Minnesota.

Inductively Coupled Plasma Spectrometer Purchase for NRRI Coleraine

George Hudak III PhD, UMD Natural Resource Research Institute Central Administration, UMD Natural Resource Research Institute
Matching funds: UMD Natural Resource Research Institute

NRRI’s inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometer (ICP-OES) is used extensively (averaging >2100 assays, annually), by UMN researchers and external clients, primarily for qualitative and quantitative analyses of major and minor elements in geological, metallurgical, and water samples. NRRI’s ICP-OES has also been used by UMN researchers and external clients in a wide variety of projects involving environmental assessment as well as coal and biomass energy production. The current ICP-OES (ICP OES Ultima, JY Horiba, purchased 2001) is outdated and no longer serviceable through the original equipment manufacturer. In addition, the current ICP-OES has limited chemical assay capabilities that do not fully meet the needs of UMN researchers or external clients. Specifically, the current device lacks the capability to conduct high sensitivity measurements of trace metals such as platinum group elements (PGEs) and rare earth elements (REEs). A modern ICP-spectrometer with lower detection limits and additional capabilities (e.g. mass spectrometry; details TBD by user group) is essential for NRRI to conduct the advanced analyses of minerals, metals, water, and biomaterials that are necessary to develop processes and markets for natural resource-based economic development and to maintain environmental sustainability.

Restoring Leadership in Nanopatterning at the Minnesota Nano Center

Steven Koester, Nano Center, College of Science & Engineering
Matching funds: Science & Engineering

The Minnesota Nano Center (MNC) supports over 400 users each year, including about 260 from the University. The MNC users extensively rely upon our lithography systems, which consist of optical contact aligners (with resolution down to 1 um) and electron-beam lithography (EBL) (with resolution down to 20 nm). However, the contact aligners do not have sufficient resolution for some users, and electron-beam lithography is very slow can so cannot pattern large areas. In addition, neither system is capable of so-called “grey-scale” lithography, which allows the creation of novel three-dimensional (3D) structures for advanced applications such as meta-optics. In this proposal, we intend to acquire a system that will enable us to improve our lithographic capabilities and pattern transfer capabilities. The main system requested is a direct-write laser (DWL) lithography system, with resolution down to 300 nm. This system is maskless, would improve the write speed compared to EBL, and also provides precision grey-scale lithography capability. We also propose several other related system upgrades to ensure the system can be fully utilized, including an add-on to our LayoutBeamer software, and upgrades to the control software for reactive ion etching systems, which are critical for pattern transfer.

University of Minnesota Healthy Weight Research Center Equipment Lending Library

Melissa Laska, Epidemiology & Community Health, School of Public Health
Matching funds: Public Health

Since 2005, the University of Minnesota Healthy Weight Research Center (formally the Obesity Prevention Center) has maintained a successful, cost-effective equipment loan program through the purchase and distribution of research quality digital scales, stadiometers, activity monitors, and licensing of the Nutrition Data System for Research (NDS-R), a dietary analysis program designed for collection and analyses of 24-hour dietary recalls, food records, menus, and recipes. In addition to providing equipment, the HWRC has disseminated standardized measurement protocols. This cost and time-saving resource is available to support healthy weight research being conducted by faculty across the University of Minnesota. To date, the equipment has been available on a first come, first serve basis and provided free of charge to investigators. During the past year, the HWRC equipment has been used on research projects spanning several departments, including Epidemiology and Community Health, Family Medicine, Endocrinology, Pediatrics, and Nursing. The HWRC is seeking support to expand and enhance the activity monitor equipment in the HWRC library based on usage history and the results of a recent member survey identifying this equipment need.

Acquisition of a Confocal Raman Microscope for Institutional Usership

Bing Luo, Characterization Faculty Administration, College of Science & Engineering
Matching funds: Faculty Funds

We are requesting funds to replace a 17-year-old confocal Raman microscope (CRM) in the Characterization Facility (CharFac) at Shepherd Lab’s site. Confocal Raman microscopy is a chemical-imaging technique that provides submicrometer spatial resolution for characterizing a variety of organic, biological and inorganic samples. The CRM is a core instrument in CharFac and has been used by hundreds of researchers across multiple colleges and schools of the University of Minnesota. Research activities conducted with this instrument have contributed to hundreds of publications. However, for the past year, these research activities have been disrupted by a failed scan stage, a critical component in Raman imaging. As the CRM is approaching the end of its lifetime, the risk of other component failures and further downtime is very high. A new CRM is urgently needed to restore our Raman capability. Additionally, there have been considerable advancements in confocal Raman instrumentation over the past 17 years. A new, state-of-the-art CRM will enable these modern capabilities.

Upgrading the University of Minnesota XRCT facility

Peter Makovicky, Earth Sciences, College of Science & Engineering
Matching funds: Biological Sciences, Food, Agriculture & Natural Resources Sciences, Liberal Arts, Science & Engineering

The University of Minnesota XRCT facility in Tate Hall houses a North Star XM5000 micro-computed tomography scanner for imaging of objects, including their internal structure, at micron scale. The facility, established in 2012 with funding from RIO, has been used for numerous geological, paleontological, zoological, and anthropological projects, as well as projects in engineering and medicine, supported by numerous grants and resulting in many papers and conference presentations. It continues to be actively used by faculty and students in ESCI, EEB, FWCB, ANTHRO who have come together to contribute toward the cost share. This is a facility that is crucial to many research programs across the university, and one that our institution cannot do without. Research conducted at the XRCT facility has significant societal impacts, as well as fostering fruitful collaborations across the university. The scanner has been offline since November due to critical parts needing replacement. Software and hardware upgrades are also needed to work with the new parts. We are therefore applying for an RIO research infrastructure grant to bring the instrument back online and allow active research projects to resume, as well as allowing new users to develop projects.

Advancing Research Infrastructure Core in the School of Dentistry

Louis Mansky, Dental Molecular Virology Program, School of Dentistry
Matching funds: Dentistry

This 2023 RIO Research Infrastructure application is requesting a 50% match of funds to support the core research infrastructure of the School of Dentistry (SoD). The SoD is seeking to replace a flow cytometer that has reached the end of its lifespan with a new instrument. In September 2022, BD Biosciences announced it will no longer provide service contract coverage for the LSR II flow cytometer (discontinued manufacturing the unit and parts), which led to the SoD seeking to address this issue with the current instrument and position itself to purchase a new flow cytometer to meet SoD user needs. The current flow cytometer remains fully functional and has been a workhorse instrument for many SoD researchers who have strong needs for daily access to this instrument to support their externally funded research projects. The instrument being requested will help ensure continuity of service to all SoD researchers. This instrumentation would be available to researchers outside of the SoD, particularly if they are engaged in active collaborations with SoD researchers, if they are in relative proximity to the SoD research core (i.e., Moos Tower or adjoining buildings), or are in need of emergency access for time-sensitive data collection.

Re-Engineering Current LIMS Infrastructure to Support Biomedical Research

Laura Niedernhofer, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology & Biophysics Deptartment Administration, Medical School
Matching funds: Medical School

MouseCloud Database is a unique Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS). It consists of 5 components: Colony, Data, Study, Specimen, and Necropsy Managers. One advantage of this all-in-one system is less manual data entry, improving productivity and accuracy. The interconnected components enable: managing animal breedings, tracking genetic pedigrees, assigning subjects to study arms, creating a biospecimen collection plan and labels for the specimen, track specimen location, search content and create inventories based on any data category. Metadata collected is modifiable. Mouse Cloud is currently used to support two NIH P grants and five U grants covering mice, rat, and human samples. As we explore new functionality and other researchers’ requests to access the system, we find the current support model and technology are limiting. To simultaneously enhance system accessibility, stability, security, and cross-lab collaboration, it is imperative that we leverage appropriate expertise and technology. In partnership with Health Science Technology, we will securely expedite system improvement and adoption by re-engineering our homemade Microsoft Access database as a web application managed by UMN IT. The product will be available to the UMN research community at a nominal cost. We will copyright it with UMN Technology Commercialization Office and license it to external users as a source of revenue for the University.

FujiFilm/VisualSonics F2 Preclinical Ultrasound Imaging System for Shared Use

Timothy O'Connell, Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology Administration, Medical School
Matching funds: Medical School

We are requesting funds from the Research Infrastructure Investment Program to purchase a new VisualSonics F2 Preclinical Imaging System to upgrade our obsolete, 10-year-old small-animal imaging system that will no longer be serviced by VisualSonics after June 30, 2023. The new F2 System will support at least 15 primary investigators from 6 departments/institutes in the Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy, funded by 25 NIH grants. Fields of study include cardiovascular, immunology, aging, drug delivery, and metabolism. The new F2 System will also help UMN recruit and retain top investigators. Functionally, the new F2 provides significant upgrades to our imaging capability including: 1. New 4D-imaging (3D imaging through time), which acquires images equivalent to MRI (the clinical gold standard) at a fraction of the time and cost; 2. HD resolution for better image capture; 3. Hands-free operation; and 4. Improved, smaller, ergonomic high-frequency probes. The University Imaging Centers (UIC) director Dr. Mark Sanders and staff will manage the new F2 System, which will be located in the UIC labs in CCRB. In summary, the new F2 System represents a significant upgrade of the now obsolete UMN small-animal imaging capabilities and will support multiple NIH-funded investigators across several departments.

Proposal for Funding to Sustain and Enhance Advanced Imaging for the University of Minnesota

Samantha Porter, Liberal Arts Technologies & Innovation Services, College of Liberal Arts
Matching funds: Liberal Arts, Medical School

AISOS was established in 2016 partially through an RIIP grant and funded again in 2018 to provide support for nascent imaging technologies such as 3D scanning, gigapixel scale photography, and mixed reality to a wide range of users at the University of Minnesota. The mission of AISOS is both to support extant needs for advanced imaging in research, as well as to promote the possibilities for these methodologies in disciplines that have not yet considered them. AISOS has supported projects across many colleges and disciplines, in the social and natural sciences, humanities, arts, and beyond. Salary support for Dr. Samantha Porter and operating funding are already provided by CLA. We propose another round of investment in AISOS both to refresh and expand equipment to address emergent needs of 2023, and to facilitate growth in capacity and functionality of the service to meet a growing and broader group of users across the lifecycle of their work. It is our goal to pivot the service to rely more upon sponsored funds in future years, and so we also propose funding for specialized staffing to handle anticipated increases in usage while sponsored funding opportunities are developed.

Building a Spatial Maker Space in the GeoCommons

Eric Shook, Geography, Environment & Society, College of Liberal Arts
Matching funds: Liberal Arts

The GeoCommons is a new facility on campus serving as a collaborative hub for geospatial research, education, and public engagement. This award will support building a ""Spatial Maker Space"" in the GeoCommons, providing cutting-edge infrastructure for geospatial discovery at every stage of the research pipeline, from data collection to geovisualization. The Spatial Maker Space will have advanced technologies, including an array of data sensors such as Global Positioning System (GPS), weather, motion, audio, and video; powerful computational capabilities including accelerators and software such as Tensor Processing Units, Field Programmable Gate Arrays, and Geospatial Artificial Intelligence models (GeoAI), and Geographic Information Systems (GIS); interactive and collaboration capabilities including touchscreen monitors, Tangible Landscapes, and Extended Reality (XR) devices; and geovisualization capabilities including a 98"" high-definition screen. This unique infrastructure supported by a specialized staff member will enable scholars and stakeholders to collaborate around the geovisualization screen, experience a digital twin using XR, or advance GeoAI models. The UofM spatial community spans hundreds of researchers from the humanities to data science. The Spatial Maker Space will enable research and foster serendipitous discovery by allowing the interdisciplinary spatial community to measure, examine, map, analyze, model, and visualize geospatial phenomena in situ.

Biodegradation Screening and Test Facility

Eric Singsaas, UMD Natural Resource Research Institute Forest Products, UMD Natural Resource Research Institute
Matching funds: Food, Agriculture & Natural Resources; Non U of MN, UMD Natural Resource Research Institute

We request funds to create a biodegradation laboratory to screen new bio-based or sustainable materials. Several University of Minnesota research programs from across the system are developing the next generation of renewable and biodegradable materials to replace nondegradable petrochemical materials in several sectors. These programs interact with Industry clients, who have told us that internal biodegradation testing would increase their likelihood of sponsoring materials development research. Internal university labs and external industry clients have indicated that this service is an unmet need. This project will establish a biodegradation test laboratory to develop the necessary early-stage screening testing for new degradable materials. The funds will allow us to obtain equipment such as incubators, biosafety cabinets, and analytical instruments to provide industry-standard biodegradation tests (ASTM D5988, D5338, OECD301B/C, and related) and develop screening tests for early-stage bio-based and sustainable materials development. This laboratory will provide services to research groups within the University of Minnesota engaged in sustainable material development. It will also interact with industry partners seeking to sponsor research and license university inventions.

Upgrade CMRR’s Core Computing Infrastructure to Align with University Security Policies

Kamil Ugurbil, Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, Medical School
Matching funds: Medical School

We are requesting funds to enhance the core computing infrastructure supporting the Center for Magnetic Resonance Research. As the Center's research continues to expand, there is a corresponding increase in computing capacity, data storage and performance required to support this research. New challenges emerge in tandem with the growth, including identifying essential healthcare data challenges and security issues. In particular, in order to meet university PHI computing standards, the Center is required to update and expand the our current data center computing infrastructure that securely generates, stores, and processes the human dicom data pipeline. Along with the recently announced NIH data sharing requirements, the Center's computing infrastructure must be reorganized to support the multiple compliance and security mandates that we are being asked to meet.

Clinical Research 360 - Governed Interconnected Data

Daniel Weisdorf, Office of Academic Clinical Affairs, Medical School
Matching funds: Academic Clinical Affairs

The Clinical Research 360 (CR360) initiative, led by CTSI, addresses gaps in integrated operational data availability for senior leaders, PIs, departments, and centers. The resulting data repository will provide the capability to deliver institutionally accepted and defined ""source of truth"" reports and data sets for a wide range of uses. The outcome will support measuring performance goals, the impact of service areas, and the effect of structural/policy/procedure changes on research operations. It can identify groups demonstrating efficient and successful study initiation practices and areas needing added help for research success. It will enable scientific advancement using predictive analytics for clinical research success. It will also fuel the tools requiring re-use of the same data. Health Sciences Technology (HST) has already developed study portfolio dashboards and startup turnaround time metrics; these have identified bottlenecks in study startup. To date, HST has integrated initial data sets from ETHOS, OnCore, clinicaltrials.gov, SPA, and Fairview Research Administration. The next portion of the project requires dedicated HST expertise and domain-specific subject matter expert effort to build out new governance processes, data integrations, and analytics. Data deliverables based on a broad needs assessment include study enrollment performance, participant demographics, ancillary reviews, and enrollment success predictive analytics.

Li-Cor Portable Photosynthesis System for High Throughput Analysis of Plant Response to Environmental Change

Jeannine Cavender-Bares, Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, College of Biological Sciences
Matching funds: College of Biological Sciences

In our era of rapid global change, the ability to quantify plant responses to changing environments accurately and rapidly can help predict changes in the exchange of carbon and water from plants as they face ongoing climate change and other threats. Capturing photosynthetic and water loss responses to changing environments, including temperature and atmospheric drought, requires high accuracy, speed and and careful environmental control. The LI-6800 portable photosynthesis system provides game-changing advances in terms of measurement speed, environmental control and flexibility. Novel insights will be gained about the critical plant processes of photosynthesis, water loss regulation, and drought response that can be scaled to large spatial extents when coupled with hyperspectral imaging and remote sensing through ongoing work of the ASCEND Biology Integration Institute. Faculty, students and post docs across four departments in two colleges (CBS, CFANS) will use and benefit from investment in the instrument. These benefits will translate to new and renewed external funding. A detailed management plan and use policy are included.
 

Biomolecular Imaging Instrumentation for Developmental Biology Research

Michael O'Connor, Genetics, Cell Biology, and Development, College of Biological Sciences
Matching funds: College of Biological Sciences; Medical School; Non-UMN

Developmental biology is the study of how a single fertilized cell proliferates and differentiates into all the specialized tissues and organs of the adult animal. In recent years, the discipline has become very molecularly oriented and uses various model systems including chick, mouse, fruit flies and worms, to specifically manipulate the expression of genes to help discover the molecular and biochemical mechanisms that guide developmental processes. These genetic manipulations require quantifying the degree of overexpression and/or loss of expression of various genes of interest, as well as determining how their gain or loss affects the activity of important downstream developmental processes. Several different types of imaging systems have been developed for these purposes, but the new Odyssey M system from Li-Cor provides an all-in-one solution for measuring DNA, RNA, and protein levels as well as chemical reaction products. This one instrument will replace three separate devices in the Developmental Biology Center (DBC) that are no longer functional or serviceable after >15 years continuous use. The Odyssey M system also offers significant improvements in the dynamic range and reproducibility of the various measurements that it can provide, and in our view, is the best replacement instrument available on the market today for our needs.
 

R-GEN 200 Multimaterial Printer for the 3D Bioprinting Facility

Angela Panoskaltsis-Mortari PhD, Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplant & Cellular Therapy Program, Medical School
Matching funds: Medical School; College of Science & Engineering; College of Science & Engineering

We propose the purchase of a RegenHu R-GEN 200 multimaterial printer with electrospraying capacity. We also request funds for a 0.5 FTE dedicated individual to operate/maintain the facility and train users. Fulfilling these needs will ensure the continued research advances being made by many investigators and the growth of the facility to remain at the forefront of the 3D bioprinting field.
 

Flow Cytometers for the Masonic Cancer Research Building

Christopher Pennell PhD, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Medical School
Matching funds: Academic Clinical Affairs

We request funds to purchase two new flow cytometers for the University Flow Cytometry Resource (UFCR). Flow cytometers permit thousands of cells in suspension to be analyzed in seconds for parameters such as size, density, viability, function, and phenotype. The new instruments would replace two, 14- and 18-year-old ones in the Masonic Cancer Research Building (MCRB) used by ˜50 faculty. As of September 2022, these instruments will no longer be maintained by the manufacturer under a service contract due to their age, lack of replacement parts, and outdated technology. They are breaking down more and more frequently, hampering experiments, and driving up user costs. Their replacements will provide greater reliability and will allow for more complex and informative experiments that permit high dimensional analyses, a requirement for top-tier publications and external grant support. For example, these state-of-the-art flow cytometers can measure =30 parameters/cell simultaneously (as compared to =16 parameters for the current instruments). Both instruments are identical except that one also has a 96 well plate sampler for high throughput analyses. We can purchase them now at a 25% discount due to a company promotion.
 

Biomechanical Motion Analysis System

Rajesh Rajamani, Mechanical Engineering, College of Science & Engineering
Matching funds: College of Science & Engineering

This proposal requests funds to purchase a 3D motion tracking system for biomechanical motion analysis. The equipment will consist of a set of infrared cameras and critical accessories that together will be capable of synchronized tracking of human motion over a large capture volume. The equipment is needed for three current research collaborations, in each of which it will serve as a gold-standard reference for validation of novel low-cost sensors and estimation algorithms. The three projects are postural instability analysis in Parkinson’s disease patients, respiratory monitoring in pediatric patients with neuromuscular problems, and human motion analysis in intelligent transportation systems. The new equipment will enhance collaboration between faculty in the Medical School and faculty in the College of Science and Engineering, leading to inter-disciplinary projects that will have significant social/ health impact. Further, the equipment will help validate preliminary research results which will enable submission of multiple large external grant proposals. The return on the equipment investment will be measured using academic metrics (publications over a three-year period) and financial metrics (external grants). Supporting letters from three research collaborators (Dr. Robert McGovern, Dr. Paolo Pianosi and Dr. Nichole Morris) and from the Minnesota Robotics Institute are also included.
 

Transforming Precision Radiation Research through the Small Animal Radiation Research Platform (SARRP)

Lindsey Sloan, Department of Radiation Oncology, Medical School
Matching funds: Medical School

Small animal models of cancer are routinely used to study anti-cancer therapy response, thus preclinical radiation research demands that precise and accurate radiation treatment is delivered. Current preclinical radiation research has been hampered by the absence of a small animal image-guided radiotherapy system capable of precise treatments to small, non-superficial sites. However, the sophisticated and reliable small animal radiation research platform (SARRP) is now available with advanced anatomic and biologic imaging allowing state-of-the-art precision radiation delivery. This unit will complement the existing strong clinical (human and veterinary) radiation research programs by permitting delivery of the same treatment protocols with identical precision and accuracy as in human patients. This is currently not possible with the existing resources at the University. Moreover, the unit permits expedited workflows, minimizing immobilization/anesthesia time to decrease stress for the animals while providing fast target localization and treatment. We are requesting funds for the SARRP unit, which can be upgraded over time, as well as required service for the initial two years after purchase. The SARRP not only advances the University’s and Cancer Center’s research missions but also increases likelihood of competitive NIH funding for any research involving radiation for preclinical small animal cancer models.
 

TSQ Quantis Plus Triple Quadrupole Mass Spectrometer

Natalia Tretyakova, Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy
Matching funds: Academic Clinical Affairs; College of Pharmacy

We are requesting matching funds to purchase a TSQ Quantis mass spectrometer that will be affiliated with the University of Minnesota Epigenetic Consortium. TSQ Quantis will replace the TSQ Quantiva mass spectrometer that had suffered a power failure and was irreversibly damaged last summer. The new instrument will be dedicated to quantitative analyses of epigenetic DNA and protein marks as part of NIH funded work conducted by Epigenetics Consortium members and collaborators at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, the Hormel Institute, and the Mayo Clinic, as well as external collaborators. The availability of this instrument with maintain and expand our analytical capabilities and support studies funded by many NIH grants.
 

Building Clinical Investigation Center Infrastructure for Translational Research

Antonella Borgatti, Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Veterinary Medicine
Matching funds: College of Veterinary Medicine

We are requesting funds to enhance the Clinical Investigation Center (CIC). The CIC is a crucial infrastructure that is unique across the Twin Cities Campus. It facilitates design and conduction of clinical studies involving client-owned animals, as well as preclinical/translational studies to develop new drugs, devices, procedures, and treatments. Importantly, the CIC provides both preclinical to clinical research support and promotes interdisciplinary/collaborative research across all academic departments in the CVM, health sciences schools, and other institutes. This new request will enhance the CIC infrastructure in three ways. First, funds will allow for updating and enhancing CIC space and equipment. This will improve both quality and efficiency of ongoing work, and, in turn, will increase capacity and attract new projects. Second, funds will be used to establish a targeted biobank focused on samples from veterinary patients, providing a new resource for investigators from the Masonic Cancer Center, and other researchers within and outside of the VMC. Third, funds will be used for computational support to build pipelines for data extraction from electronic medical records. Increased capacity and the ability to collect relevant information and samples will strengthen and create new partnerships with faculty across the University, maximizing our return on investment.
 

MNC Upgrade for Patterning Low-Volatility Materials

Stephen Campbell, Minnesota Nano Center, College of Science & Engineering
Matching funds: College of Science & Engineering

The Minnesota Nano Center (MNC) enables faculty and Minnesota companies to build micro- and nano-scale structures as a critical part of their research and development. Most of these processes entail depositing a thin film, applying a polymer mask, and using the mask to protect parts of the thin film while the unprotected areas are removed. The process can be repeated many times to build up the layers needed to make the desired device. The removal process is typically an etch step in which the exposed film is chemically converted from a solid to a gas or a liquid. As our users explore very advanced technologies such as quantum computing and spintronics, they find the materials cannot be chemically etched. Instead they must use a physical process called ion milling to remove the undesired material. The fundamental problem with milling is that it is not selective. Once the film is patterned, the milling starts to damage any underlying structures. As a result, most devices are destroyed. This proposal will add a secondary ion mass spectrometer to the ion mill to determine the composition of the material being milled and stop the milling process once the target material is fully eroded.
 

Duluth Imaging Center Upgrade

Ruifeng Cao, Biomedical Sciences-Duluth, Medical School
Matching funds: Medical School, College of Pharmacy, UMD Academic Affairs, UMD Swenson College of Science & Engineering

Match funding is requested to replace and upgrade the confocal laser scanning microscope in the Duluth Imaging Center, which serves a number of funded investigators in Medical School and College of Pharmacy in Duluth, as well as faculty in Swenson College of Science and Engineering, UMD. A confocal laser scanning microscope offers several advantages over conventional widefield optical microscopy, including the ability to control depth of field, reduction of background information, and capability to collect serial optical sections from thick specimens. It is an essential piece of equipment for life sciences especially neuroscience, which is our current focus of research growth in Medical School and College of Pharmacy in Duluth. The current Zeiss LSM 710 is the only shared confocal laser scanning microscope on the Duluth campus and it was purchased nine years ago. Replacing and upgrading this equipment will allow current NIH, NSF and EPA funded projects to continue without interruptions by costly repairs and provide the base for recruitment and retention of new faculty in Neuroscience. The new microscope will have expanded capabilities to do fixed and live cell imaging, as well as the capacity to do multi-photon work with future add-ons. We have obtained matching funds from multiple sources across all relevant colleges on the Duluth campus.
 

Closed-loop neuromodulation system upgrade in the Non-invasive Neuromodulation Laboratories

Mo Chen, Psychiatry, Medical School
Matching funds: Medical School

In this application, we request $40,000.00 from the RIO along with another $40,000.00 from the identified matching funders to upgrade the equipment at the Non-invasive Neuromodulation Laboratories (NNL). The equipment includes: an electroencephalography (EEG) data acquisition solution (a 64-channel active electrode amplifier with a high sampling rate of up to 20 kHz, a fast data streaming device, and a close-loop trigger generating device) for closed-loop EEG-guided brain excitability assessment and a real-time target machine to process EEG signal for closed-loop neuromodulation intervention (please refer to the attached Quotations for technical details). This proposed upgrade will enable real-time closed-loop EEG guided transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) which will improve the ability to investigate the pathophysiology of multiple neurological and psychiatric disorders, and enhance the ability to target neuromodulation intervention to the ideal neural network with a critical temporal selectivity. Real-time closed-loop EEG-TMS is emerging as the standard for the trending brain excitability assessment protocols and non-invasive neuromodulation intervention strategies. This equipment will advance neuromodulation research at UMN to the next level, enabling UMN to remain competitive among top research institutions.
 

Acquisition of a Quantum Design High-Magnetic-Field/Low-Temperature Physical Property Measurement System

Martin Greven, Physics & Astronomy, College of Science & Engineering
Matching funds: Faculty Funds, College of Science & Engineering

Access to high magnetic fields and low temperatures is indispensable in modern materials research. For a R1 university with substantial depth and breadth in this area (eight departments, three centers, three colleges, two campuses), UMN is markedly inferior in this regard compared to peer institutions, as there exist no broad-use instruments with capabilities over 9 Tesla/under 1.8 Kelvin. We propose to address this problem by acquiring a 16-Tesla Quantum Design Physical Property Measurement System, an extremely versatile measurement platform for a wide range of materials properties (e.g., specific heat, magnetic susceptibility, electrical/thermal transport). The total cost including $15,000 for installation is $564,720, reflecting a negotiated discount of about 12%. Furthermore, leveraging SPA’s helium-recovery system, more than $70,000 will be saved compared to helium-free “dry” technology. The instrument offers the much-needed expansion of current capabilities: a maximum magnetic field of 16 T and a base temperature of 0.05 K, i.e., a field-to-temperature-ratio increase of nearly two orders of magnitude, from 5 T/K to 320 T/K. The system is of interest to more than a dozen faculty. We have secured $285,000 in matching, and request $279,720 to help establish the UMN as a center of excellence in the high-magnetic-field/low-temperature research.
 

Center for Immunology Equipment Renewal Application

Marc Jenkins, Microbiology, Medical School
Matching funds: Medical School

This proposal is for funds to replace aging equipment that is located in Center for Immunology (CFI)-designated laboratory space in WMBB and shared by CFI investigators. The CFI is a multi-departmental center that serves the research and education functions of an immunology department but does not receive the indirect cost dollars from its investigators grants. CFI is the strongest academic unit in the Medical School based on publication citation data. Funds are requested for aging core lab equipment including laminar flow tissue culture hoods, a gel illuminator, an ELISA plate reader, a high speed centrifuge, an orbital shaker, and an X-irradiator, all of which have exceeded their expected lifespans and many of which are now unserviceable. Funds are also requested for a new ultrasound imaging system to enhance mouse research in the CFI. The proposal is justified by the fact that CFI has not received significant institutional investment for equipment since it was formed 26 years ago. The requested funds will allow replacement of these fundamental pieces of equipment, which will otherwise fail in the near future and create setbacks for this productive research group.
 

Diversifying Science and Technology Education through Strategic Community Engagement

Anita Randolph, Neuropsychology, Medical School
Matching funds: Academic Clinical Affairs

As the Masonic Institute for the Developing Brain solidifies itself as a world leader in research, education, and clinical intervention, it will rely on the Community Engagement and Education Core to build bridges with the community. The core aims to foster bidirectional communication, relay the community’s concerns to mold services, fast-track interventions to the community, and develop the next generation of underrepresented scientists. The Community Engagement and Education Core has identified numerous outreach programs across the University of Minnesota campus that aim to engage local youth, specifically those from underrepresented minority communities, in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math). However, these programs plan, resource, and schedule independently in “silos”, resulting in a fragmented approach that may not sustain the University’s mission for outreach and may not provide standard methods to track return on investment and community engagement. This grant proposes a centralized infrastructure for community-based participatory research (CBPR) programs that provides CBPR training, supplies, scheduling, community relationship management, personnel support, and standardized assessment materials. Initially created by a collaboration across established neuroscience-focused outreach initiatives, this infrastructure will provide a blueprint for wider CBPR implementation.
 

Expanding UIC Core Facility Usage Metrics and Forecasting: A Blueprint for UMN Shared Research Facilities

Mark Sanders, University Imaging Center, Medical School
Matching funds: Medical School

Shared research facilities in the University of Minnesota system provide services, expertise, and instruments for high-quality research, teaching, training, and innovation. Some facilities are specific to their supporting groups; most are available on a fee-for-service basis to researchers both inside and outside the University. The University Imaging Centers is one of over 100 shared research facilities and provides services to hundreds of users across 50 units on and outside of the Twin Cities campus. Tracking usage, financial health, publications and grants are metrics that are common and important to monitor the return on investments to the University for all shared resource facilities. To that end, the UIC has begun to harness the power of the UMN invested software platforms (Elsevier’s Pure/UMN Experts, Tableau, Google, Analytics) to create a comprehensive set of reporting tools for 1) usage, 2) financial health, 3) publication tracking, and 4) grant data for monitoring, measuring, and reporting UIC performance. Once established, these tools and blueprints could be leveraged by shared research facilities across the UMN to enhance reporting critical for ongoing assessment and advocacy.
 

Replacement of aged workhorse SEMs with a state-of-the-art, institutional-impact SEM

Nick Seaton, Characterization Facility, College of Science & Engineering
Matching funds: College of Science & Engineering

One of the core methods in the Characterization Facility for a broad usership is Scanning Electron Microscopy, SEM. It provides imaging capabilities for many different sample types as investigated in the health sciences and other biological research as well as synthetic materials and geological samples. It also provides chemical and crystallographic information on these same samples. We are seeking to replace our two oldest SEM’s, which are reaching end of life (20+ years old), with one new system that will allow us to offer improved performance to our workshorse-SEM user base, which in FY19-21 included 75 unique PI’s from 20 different departments in 7 colleges. The new acquisition will extend our capabilities by enabling us to image non-conductive samples without an ultrathin coating for conductivity by using low vacuum technology ("variable pressure SEM"). The replacement of the two old SEMs with one new SEM will enable Charfac to reduce downtime from equipment failure due to age and allow us to reduce our associated costs including maintenance contracts (one replacing two). Its various state-of-art features will also improve training and provide several other enhancements long overdue in a"routine usage" SEM in the CharFac.
 

ArTeS [Art+Technology+Science] Collaborative Research Studio

Diane Willow, Art, College of Liberal Arts
Matching funds: Academic Affairs, College of Biological Sciences, College of Design, Equity & Diversity, College of Liberal Arts, College of Science & Engineering

ArTeS is an intercollegiate initiative that centers the arts in Art+Technology+Science collaborations. Our collaborative vision for ArTeS began with and will be sustainable with an equitable, inclusive network and exchange, among people, communities, and disciplines. To further our goal of realizing ArTeS as a catalyst for creative interdependence, we have received generous departmental approval to transform a space in Regis Center for Art into the ArTeS Collaborative Research Studio. This space will provide an intercollegiate context in which creativity, culture, equity, and justice are integral to research at the nexus of art, technology, and science. Designed to support a broad range of interdisciplinary research methodologies and modalities, this reconfigurable space will be reimagined to reflect each new research endeavor. The research infrastructure will consist of a versatile, electrified, and networked second-skin, seeded with technologies that support spatialized video, projection mapping, marker-less motion capture, responsive sensing, spatialized audio, immersive telepresence, virtual and augmented reality. While modelling an ecosystems research approach that engages faculty, community collaborators, graduate students, staff, and undergraduate research assistants, the research catalyzed by this space will shape a distinctive national ArTeS model, specific to UMN, that will guide our process of seeking significant national funding.

Surface Characterization Instrumentation to Advance Interdisciplinary Research at the University of Minnesota-Duluth

Brian Barry, Natural Resource Research Institute
Matching funds: D NRRI Central Admin, D SCSE Administration, D Chemical Engineering, D Chemical Engineering

The objective of this project is to acquire surface characterization instrumentation to advance interdisciplinary research on physicochemical and biogeochemical processes that occur at the surfaces of natural and engineered materials. This is a broad collaborative initiative among researchers the Natural Resources Research Institute and the Swenson College of Science and Engineering at the University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD); involving ten key users across seven different departments, initiatives, and interdisciplinary research centers (including the Advanced Materials Center and Large Lakes Observatory). Specifically, we seek to establish a materials characterization center at UMD with the following shared instrumentation: (1) a surface area analyzer, (2) a mercury porosimeter, and (3) mediated electrochemical characterization instrumentation. This would enable simultaneous characterization of the abundance, accessibility, and redox functionality of surface active sites for materials of interdisciplinary interest, promoting new synergistic research activities. Moreover, Duluth’s unique location on Lake Superior and active community of environmental researchers put UMD in a strong position to become nationally recognized for research on environmental biogeochemical processes. Researchers at UMD will be able to leverage these opportunities and capabilities to collaborate with researchers across the University of Minnesota system, extending impacts beyond UMD.
 

e-Infrastructure to Transform the Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station

Brian Buhr, College of Food, Agricultural, and Natural Resource Sciences
Matching funds: College of Food, Agricultural, and Natural Resource Science

The University of Minnesota’s Research and Outreach Centers (ROCs) represent a critical system of physical infrastructure. The ROCs are the basis for some of our most impactful research related to agriculture, environment, climate change, and invasive species. More recently, they have become a testbed for advanced digital technologies leveraging artificial intelligence, machine learning, and robotics. In response to this new wave of digital agriculture, the Deputy Director of the Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station initiated the “Electronic Research and Outreach Center Initiative” -- a digital-first strategy for 21st-century CFANS research and development. The first step in the initiative is to modernize the instrumentation and field observation infrastructure across the ROCs. Underpinning most scientific findings in CFANS are two sources of data: weather and field observations. Over the past 30 years, the infrastructure for weather instrumentation has degraded across many of the ROCs. The main outcomes of this project will be to procure, install, and maintain a harmonized weather collection system and establish a common data management platform applicable to field plot data across the ROCs. This funding will result in the baseline electronic infrastructure needed to advance the broader Electronic ROC Initiative and lay the foundation for 21st-century CFANS research and development.
 

Acquisition of a System to Enable Research in Quantum Information

Stephen Campbell, Electrical & Computer Engineering, College of Science and Engineering
Matching funds: College of Science and Engineering, MN Nano Center

As traditional information systems approach theoretical limits, there is tremendous interest in new materials and devices for computing, information storage and sensing. One high-profile example is quantum computing, which is seeing a great deal of emphasis at federal and private funding agencies. Devices for quantum computing are made from a sequence of thin films that are lithographically patterned. Here we propose a system that can form the extremely pure thin films required for quantum applications. This capability is enabled by the system’s ability to achieve extremely high vacuum, preventing background gases from contaminating the films. The system also allows the researcher to clean the surface of a material in-situ prior to depositing the next layer, enabling uncontaminated interfaces between layers. Although most of the leading groups working in quantum computing devices have such a system, there is no such system in Minnesota. Uses beyond quantum devices that would benefit from ultra-pure films and clean interfaces are envisioned as well. We propose to bring this system to the Minnesota Nano Center where it will be made available to all of the faculty. More than a dozen research groups have expressed a strong interest in using such a system.
 

Heirloom Holsteins for Functional Genomics Studies

Brian Crooker, Animal Sciences, College of Food, Agricultural, and Natural Resource Sciences
Matching funds: Faculty funds, College of Food, Agricultural & Natural Resource Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine

We seek to relocate a unique, novel and one-of-a-kind genetic resource population of Holstein cows to increase use of the cows, better serve and facilitate our collaborative research objectives, and reduce future operating costs. The University has maintained these unique unselected, genetically static Holsteins since 1964. Their scientific value is recognized as demonstrated by the competitive federal, state and industry funding we have received. We have documented tremendous single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) differences between the DNA from unselected and contemporary Holsteins. Many of these differences are within regions that contain genes involved with reproductive function and fertility and with immune function and health. Our functional genomics studies have identified expression differences for immune-associated genes. Identifying responsible polymorphisms will help breeding programs increase prevalence of beneficial genes, decrease prevalence of detrimental genes, and decrease incidence of diseases in future Holsteins. We seek support to relocate these cows from West Central Research and Outreach Center as we continue to seek additional external support to prevent the loss of this valuable, one-of-a-kind resource population. Our intent is to have the cows calve at the St Paul campus dairy, but they would be primarily housed at our collaborating, off-campus heifer grower and dairy facilities.
 

Ultraperformance Liquid Chromatograph-Quadrupole Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometer for Accurate Mass LC/MS Measurements

Joe Dalluge, Chemistry, College of Science and Engineering
Matching funds: Medical School, College of Pharmacy, College of Science & Engineering

The proposed SCIEX UPLC/QTOF mass spectrometer will replace a 21-year-old, failing electrospray/time-of-flight mass spectrometer employed by 315 users from UM, other colleges and universities, and corporations nationwide. Further, this platform will expand the capabilities of the Department of Chemistry Mass Spectrometry Laboratory and the entire University for the detailed structural characterization of a wide range of chemical species from small molecules and therapeutic agents, to proteins and synthetic polymers. The combination of high-resolution, high-speed, high-sensitivity, and high mass accuracy UPLC/MS analysis with MS/MS capability will provide structure confirmation, compound identification, compound screening, and protein mass confirmation on an open-access platform to externally funded principal investigators representing more than 5 departments, 4 colleges, The Medical School, and 3 interdisciplinary centers at the University of Minnesota. Additional researchers will be recruited assuring long-term maximum usage and impact of the proposed instrument in advancing research at the University of Minnesota and beyond. The requested platform will foster interdisciplinary and intercollegiate collaboration that promises to advance our understanding of the chemical mechanisms of disease, accelerate development of next-generation therapeutic, diagnostic, and environmental agents, and lead the way to accelerate the design, synthesis, and characterization of new materials.
 

A replacement Qtrap LC-MS system for targeted metabolomics and proteomics for UofM researchers

Timothy Griffin, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biophysics, Medical School
Matching funds: College of Biological Sciences, College of Food, Agricultural, and Natural Resource Sciences, Medical School, College of Pharmacy, Non UMN Sources

The Center for Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics (CMSP) requests a critically needed, replacement liquid chromatography (LC) triple quadrupole-linear ion trap (Qtrap) mass spectrometer (MS) for characterizing metabolites, proteins and other biomolecules. Dozens of UofM researchers depend on Qtrap LC-MS to characterize small molecule metabolites, indicators of activity within biological pathways, and also proteins, the molecules which carry out biochemical reactions and other functions in cells. A core requirement to these studies is the detection and accurate quantification of these molecules within complex biological samples, providing a means to investigate molecular mechanisms underlying basic biological processes and/or dysfunction and disease. Hybrid triple quadrupole-linear ion trap (Qtrap) instruments, coupled with LC separations, provide a powerful means to meet these requirements by offering unsurpassed sensitivity and versatility necessary for analyzing diverse biomolecules. Unfortunately, the current Qtrap, an older generation instrument (Qtrap 5500) installed in 2011, suffered a mechanical malfunction in the fall of 2019, severely damaging internal parts and leaving it only partially operational. Consequently, we are requesting a replacement system (Qtrap 6500+), which will fill this critical instrumentation gap in the CMSP and serve the needs of numerous ongoing projects by UofM researchers, as well as open new possibilities for future projects.
 

State-of-the-Art 3T MRI System to Advance Translational and Comparative Research

Casey Johnson, Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Veterinary Medicine
Matching funds: College of Veterinary Medicine

The purpose of this project is to advance translational and comparative research at the University of Minnesota by replacing the existing and aged 3.0 Tesla (3T) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner located at the Veterinary Medical Center, College of Veterinary Medicine, with a state-of-the-art, fully-equipped Siemens Prisma 3T MRI system to enable advanced imaging capabilities at all body regions. The new system will greatly advance research capabilities using large animals (e.g., dogs, cats, pigs, sheep, rabbits, goats, and horses) while also supporting the clinical needs of the Veterinary Medical Center (~20% business hour usage). The system will be compatible with the Siemens Prisma scanners at the Center for Magnetic Resonance Research (CMRR) to best enable inter-collegiate collaboration and research capabilities. This project is supported by Dr. Kamil Ugurbil, Director of CMRR, who is in favor of expanding the capacity for animal studies using 3T MRI at the University of Minnesota and enabling new inter-collegiate collaborative opportunities by utilizing the strengths of the College of Veterinary Medicine. The new system will be the go-to 3T MRI resource for animal studies and has broad interest from investigators across diverse fields including Neuroscience, Neurosurgery, Oncology, Orthopaedic Surgery, Rehabilitation Medicine, Radiology, and Engineering.
 

Enhancing the Outdoor StreamLab: A full-scale eco-geomorphology laboratory for stream and floodplain science

Jessica Kozarek, St. Anthony Falls Lab, College of Science and Engineering
Matching funds: College of Science & Engineering

The Outdoor StreamLab (OSL) is a unique experimental facility located adjacent to St. Anthony Falls Laboratory (SAFL). The OSL was designed for collaborative interdisciplinary experiments in stream and floodplain science incorporating physical, chemical and biological stream processes. Instrumentation in the OSL allows for high-resolution measurements of channel topography, water flow, and water quality. Since construction in 2008, UMN researchers from seven departments spread amongst three colleges, visiting researchers, and undergraduate and graduate researchers have utilized the OSL. In addition, the OSL’s highly visible location encourages public engagement through signage in Water Power Park. Because of the large scale, conducting experiments in the OSL is labor intensive and much of the instrumentation has not been significantly upgraded since 2009. This project will update and redesign the sediment feed and recirculation and water control and monitoring systems to simplify work flow. In addition, the major instrumentation systems in the OSL for topography, water quality, and velocity will be upgraded. Since 2008, engineers and technicians at SAFL have designed and built both sediment feed systems and instrumentation systems for external clients around the world. This project will re-invest this expertise into OSL’s research infrastructure creating enhanced opportunities for interdisciplinary stream research.
 

Expanding the Environmental Research Capabilities of the Minnesota Center for Prion Research and Outreach

Peter Larsen, Veterinary Biomedical Science, College of Veterinary Medicine
Matching funds: College of Veterinary Medicine

The newly formed Minnesota Center for Prion Research and Outreach (MNPRO) serves as a trans-disciplinary research hub for University of Minnesota faculty and staff working on the biology and epidemiology of human and animal prion diseases and related protein-misfolding disorders. This proposal seeks to expand the MNPRO research infrastructure required for studies focused on the environmental impact and infectivity of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD)-causing prions throughout Minnesota. CWD is a prion disease that is spreading throughout Minnesota’s white-tailed deer population as well as the state’s cervid farms. CWD is an immediate threat to multiple economic sectors throughout the state and there is growing concern that CWD-prion strain variation poses a risk to human health. Recent data show these prions can be incorporated into plants and contaminate waterways downstream of endemic CWD areas. The requested funds will be used to purchase two Omega Series microplate readers, equipment that will greatly increase MNPRO’s testing throughput capacity. The funds will also help establish a transgenic rodent colony that is suitable for prion infectivity studies and will support the salary of a Researcher 6 position, a scientist who will oversee MNPRO’s environmental research and rodent-challenge experiments.
 

The Light of Knowledge: Enhancing Informal Learning Engagement

Lin Nelson-Mayson, Goldstein Museum, College of Design
Matching funds: College of Design

GMD seeks funding to replace outdated track lighting in its secure gallery, Gallery 241, which will improve personal safety within one of the major locations of the College of Design’s community-engaged faculty research. For over 40 years, Gallery 241 in McNeal Hall has been the site of over 400 exhibitions, 300 of which were based on faculty research. GMD’s exhibitions are essential vehicles for public communication of design research, developed by faculty through the guest-curator method and by GMD’s professional curators. This experience provides faculty members with the unique opportunity to translate their research into an informal learning environment, connecting community interest with topical design issues related to social change and cultural understanding. GMD exhibitions create the highest level of community engagement with faculty research and are accompanied by lectures, panel discussions, and master classes on the topic. Recent faculty guest curators have come from apparel studies, housing studies, graphic design, interior design, and product design. Gallery 241 needs upgrades to create a safer environment for this research. Gallery lighting is an essential component of exhibition design. Currently, the lighting system is outdated, unreliable and potentially hazardous to staff and student employees. GMD has secured matching funds for this RIO grant and is working with the College of Design for the additional funds necessary to complete this project.
 

10,000 Families Study and Extension: Partnering with Minnesota communities for better health

Logan Spector, Pediatrics, Medical School
Matching funds: Office of Academic Clinical Affairs

We seek funding to expand the University’s capacity for conducting public engaged research via an exciting partnership between the Masonic Cancer Center –10,000 Families Study (10KFS) and University’s Extension Center for Family Development (ECFD). The 10KFS is a prospective cohort that aims to elucidate the genetic, environmental and lifestyle factors that lead to or protect against cancer and other health conditions affecting ethnically, geographically, and economically diverse Minnesota families. When enrollment is complete, it will serve as a critical infrastructure resource to support the University’s research enterprise now, and well into the future. The ECFD program leaders are experts in engaging with communities to share University knowledge and research. They have trained staff and community partners as facilitation leaders across the state to build communities’ capacity to promote health and well-being. Through this ECFD program, many communities are now well prepared to connect University research with their specific community needs and assets. Our proposed partnership combines the existing infrastructures of 10KFS for research and ECFD’s cadre of skilled community-based facilitators to build a more inclusive, representative 10KFS cohort, thus ensuring that the 10KFS research is relevant to communities. Broader benefits are anticipated for communities, ECFD, and the University.
 

Purchase of a Precision Cabinet X-ray Irradiator for the Support of Translational Interdisciplinary Cancer Research

Douglas Yee, Masonic Cancer Center, Medical School
Matching funds: Office of Academic Clinical Affairs

The Masonic Cancer Center’s Irradiator Core Facility serves a research community of over 30 cancer research laboratories representing over 16 different departments and 5 colleges. It is part of a larger portfolio of shared resources that are available to cancer researchers at the University of Minnesota and beyond. The Masonic Cancer Center has over 600 members who represent over 60 departments across all colleges and schools at the institution. The irradiation of normal and malignant cells for in vitro and in vivo assays is critically important to the strategic growth of cell, gene, and immunotherapy cancer research at the University of Minnesota. The current equipment is at the end of its useful life and requires replacement. The advanced technology and capabilities that a new irradiator brings to the center represents an essential need for current and future users of this core facility. This new unit will allow researchers to further their research on the engraftment of human cells, NK cell infusion studies, and conditioning.

Bridging the UMN gap in Metabolomics: Acquisition of a State of the Art SIFT-MS for A Center for Volatolomics

Abdennour ABBAS, Bioprod & Biosys Eng, CFANS
Matching funds: College of Food, Agricultural, and Natural Resource Sciences, College of Science & Engineering, Medical School

This proposal seeks to provide the UMN with research capabilities for the study and applications of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), by acquiring the state of the art SIFT-MS and establishing the Center for Volatolomics. The volatolome is part of the metabolome and it includes all VOCs (odors, gas, vapors) released by biological systems. As a result, SIFT-MS applications span multiple fields from disease diagnostics (breath analysis), to agriculture (odor-based pesticides), food quality, aroma and fragrance analysis, air quality monitoring, explosives and narcotics odor detection, microbial interactions research (quorum sensing), and behavioral sciences (pheromone studies). The UMN has only the capabilities to study part of the metabolome, namely the proteome and other biomolecules at the Center for Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics (CMSP), which is not equipped for volatolome studies. SIFT-MS is the fastest and most sensitive VOCs analysis instrument available. The wide interest for this proposal helped us secure the support from 12 PIs, 10 departments, 2 centers, and 4 colleges, generating $202,867 in matching funds, including a 5 % negotiated discount from the equipment manufacturer (Syft Inc.), and a 5-year graduate fellowship from the Schwan’s Company. We request $198,916 to complete this fundraising, making the UMN the 3rd US research institution after Harvard University and Cleveland Clinic to acquire SIFT-MS and the first to establish a Center for Volatolomics.
 

Revitalizing Nano at the Minnesota Nano Center

Stephen Campbell, Electrical & Computer Engineering, CSENG
Matching funds: College of Science & Engineering, MN Nano Center

The Minnesota Nano Center hosts more than 400 researchers each year who make micro and nano scale structures. To make nanoscale structures researchers use three critical machines: an electron beam lithography system, an atomic layer deposition system, and a field emission electron microscope. Collectively these represent an investment of about $3M. This proposal is designed to modernize these systems and to make them more useful. The e-beam system will be improved by replacing the original stage motors which have proven to be highly unreliable and by acquiring new software to improve the lithography results by calculating the exposure parameters needed for a given substrate. Our capability for atomic layer deposition will be improved by acquiring a second system. This will double the number of materials we can deposition, allowing us to meet the demand from our faculty users. Finally, the electron microscope will be improved by replacing the control software, currently running on Windows 2000, and hardware with modern counterparts. The new operating system will allow the SEM to also run new software that can automatically and repeatably measure feature sizes and carry out statistical analysis of the sizes. Since the primary use of the SEM is to inspect structures made in the e-beam system, this is a critically needed capability. By making this investment our nanoscale ability will be ensured for at least another decade and major investments in new systems can be avoided.
 

Core Facility for Stem Cell Reprogramming and Translation at the UMN Stem Cell Institute

James Dutton, Stem Cell Institute, Medical School
Matching funds: College of Biological Sciences, College of Science & Engineering, Medical School, College of Veterinary Medicine

The practice of medicine is being changed by the clinical application of cells derived from pluripotent stem cells, the use of adult stem cells, gene-editing and the potential for cell reprogramming. To maintain a leading position in the field of regenerative medicine the UMN Stem Cell Institute has developed a Stem Cell Core facility to support basic science research and the clinical translation of stem cell technology. This proposal will help expand the UMN Core Facility for Stem Cell Reprogramming and Translation. This facility provides access to expertise, practical assistance and reagent resources to support UMN faculty in the use and translation of stem cell related technologies. Stem cell based basic research, positioning proof of concept stem cell research for preclinical validation, utilizing stem cell related products for drug screening and toxicity and applications for human clinical trials all require access to very specialized skills and technology. This includes defined systems for stem cell derivation, culture and differentiation, methods for cell reprogramming, gene editing, and clinical grade cell manufacture. This proposal will consolidate and expand the range of stem cell expertise and resources provided by the Stem Cell Core and will improve access to these technologies for UMN researchers.
 

Improving Sound Attenuation for Developmental and Clinical Neuroimaging at 3T and 7T

Jed Elison, Institute of Child Development, CEHD
Matching funds: College of Education & Human Development, College of Liberal Arts, Medical School

Sound attenuation during magnetic resonance imaging remains an enduring challenge for specific populations and specific types of questions. A sufficient degree of sound attenuation during MRI is required for safety reasons. However, increased sound attenuation is essential for studies of naturally sleeping infants and toddlers, for studies of clinical samples with sensory sensitivities (e.g., autism and schizophrenia), and for basic studies of the cortical architecture of auditory perception. All studies of which are conducted at the CMRR. New technology has been developed to address this challenge. OptoActive headphones combine passive and active noise cancelation to reduce sound by 60 dB and were specifically designed for adult head sizes in the 32 channel head coils used with 3T and 7T scanners. This technology is currently used by collaborators at UNC and WashU for studies with naturally sleeping infants, studies of young preschool and school-aged children, and patients with neurodevelopmental/psychiatric disorders with improved success rates. We are requesting funds to purchase 3 sets of these headphones ($40K each) for two 3T scanners and one 7T scanner at the CMRR. A large number of investigators will benefit from this investment as evidenced by the large number of units contributing matching funds.
 

Electrophysiology Equipment to Support Neurodevelopmental Research

Michael Georgieff, Pediatrics, Medical School
Matching funds: College of Education & Human Development, Medical School

The Center for Neurobehavioral Development houses over thirty studies on children's cognitive and neurobehavioral functioning. The mission of the Center is to understand how brain development affects the way children think, learn, and express emotions. The Center’s researchers study how environmental factors interact with personal characteristics to individualize brain development. An essential feature of the Center is the collaborative infrastructure that it provides researchers across the University. CNBD provides the space, equipment, and intellectual support for interdisciplinary work that supports our mission. It is imperative that we maintain current tools to advance cutting-edge science. Electrophysiologic methods are crucial; in the last decade, researchers utilizing the Center’s EEG and autonomic systems have conducted studies on prematurity, early deprivation and neglect, Manganese toxicity, neonatal ischemia/hypoxia, adolescent alcohol abuse, antibiotic exposure, emotion regulation, adrenoleukodystrophy, CMV infection, and Rett syndrome. The current proposal seeks to fund a 128-channel dense array EEG system and suite of Biopac autonomic equipment. These systems would represent a crucial upgrade of the Center’s current EEG and autonomic systems, both of which are more than 10 years old. With these tools, researchers can measure non-invasively in children electrical activity in the brain, and cardiovascular measures of sympathetic and parasympathetic response.
 

Precision Technologies to Monitor Health Status of Dairy Cattle

Bradley Heins, West Central ROC-Morris, CFANS
Matching funds: Faculty funds, Non UMN Sources

The funds will be used to upgrade the dairy cattle milking equipment at the University of Minnesota West Central Research and Outreach Center (WCROC) dairy in Morris. We will purchase the AfiMilk and AfiLab milk analyzer from AfiMilk to install in our milking parlor. This equipment will provide accurate measures of fat, protein, lactose, and milk conductivity, as well as milk yield. This technology is unique because the AfiMilk sensor can help us to monitor health, mastitis, and other disease of dairy cattle, simply during the time of milking. Additionally, with a sensor attached to each of the 300 cows at the dairy, we will be able to monitor resting activity, lameness, and eating and rumination behavior. Information will be provided in real time to computer software and will provide big data for research studies. With the installation of these precision technologies, the WCROC dairy program will be able to increase research capabilities and increase collaborations with researchers within and outside of the University of Minnesota.
 

The Purchase of a Benchtop Micro Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography Scanner

Aaron LeBeau, Pharmacology, Medical School
Matching funds: College of Science & Engineering, Medical School

Positron emission tomography (PET) is a powerful imaging technology that is routinely used in the clinic to non-invasively detect cancer, infectious disease and monitor neurological function. Small animal microPET/CT scanners are critical to the preclinical development of novel imaging probes and the understanding of disease. With the decommissioning of the Siemens Inveon microPET/CT at the University Imaging Center (UIC), the University of Minnesota will be without a microPET/CT scanner for preclinical nuclear imaging. The UIC is decommissioning the Inveon due to high operating/maintenance costs and also Siemens is discontinuing support for all Inveon models in 2020. Succinctly stated, the Inveon is obsolete. The purpose of this proposal is to solicit funds for the purchase of a Sofie G8 microPET/CT. The G8 has greater resolution and sensitivity than the Inveon and is the size of a college dorm refrigerator. In addition to being simple to use, the operating and maintenance costs for the G8 will be less than $20,000 per year – a fraction of that for the Inveon. The G8 will be available to researchers at the UIC in the CCRB. Dr. LeBeau, who has an extensive background in microPET/CT and radiopharmaceuticals, will assist users with their imaging needs.
 

Analytical TEM for the UMN Characterization Facility

Andre Mkhoyan, Chemical Engineering & Materials Science, CSENG
Matching funds: College of Science & Engineering

We propose the acquisition of a new generation, analytical, high-resolution scanning and transmission electron microscope (HR-(S)TEM) to fill a critical need for a first-class characterization facility at the University of Minnesota (UMN). This (HR-(S)TEM) is an essential instrument that will allow many principal investigators, research scientists, graduate students, postdoctoral associates, and some undergraduate to characterize their samples at sub-nanometer-scale. This TEM will help researchers to improve their understanding of nanomaterials’ functionality and their use in applications. This single analytical HR-(S)TEM will replace two aging TEMs in the Characterization Facility of UMN. Both TEMs are 15 years old and are very close to the end of their functional life. These two TEMs did provide critical, everyday service to a very large number of UMN principal investigators, researchers and graduate students, but it is time to phase them out. The cutting-edge research that relied on these TEMs will continue without disruption, with more efficiency and with better quality.
 

Acquisition of a Vibrating-Sample Magnetometer for Magnetic Studies of Natural and Synthetic Materials

Bruce Moskowitz, Earth Sciences, CSENG
Matching funds: College of Science & Engineering

Funds are requested to acquire a new Vibrating-Sample Magnetometer (VSM) to replace and upgrade one of our oldest (>20 years) and most used magnetometers in the Institute for Rock Magnetism (Department of Earth Sciences). The electromagnet-based VSM system measures the magnetization of natural and synthetic materials as a function of magnetic fields and temperature for a variety of sample types with speed, sensitivity, and minimal sample preparation. Vibrating-sample magnetometry is an essential tool for nondestructive characterization of magnetic materials that occur in many research areas across the physical and biological sciences. Applications include the study of natural magnetic minerals in rocks, sediments, soils, meteorites, and archeological materials; the development of novel magnetic materials for sensors, magnetic recording, and biomaterials; characterization of nanoparticles and nanostructures; and fundamental physics research. The new VSM system will provide several major improvements over our existing magnetometers by allowing users to perform measurements in higher magnetic fields and to higher temperatures with greater sensitivity and measurement speed. Acquisition of a new VSM will extend the lifetime of this critical resource for University and outside researchers, allowing them to obtain unique information about magnetic materials in natural and synthetic systems.
 

Measuring Cellular Senescence

Laura Niedernhofer, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology & Biophysics, Medical School
Matching funds: Medical School

The goal of this project is to add the capacity to measure senescence in samples from humans and pre-clinical models to existing shared resources (Comparative Pathology and Translational Therapy) within the Masonic Cancer Center. Senescent cells accumulate in virtually all tissues of mammals with age. Senescent cells play a causal role in aging. Furthermore, in mice, it is well-established that pharmacologic ablation of senescent cells is sufficient to slow aging, delay numerous age-related diseases, including cancer and Alzheimer’s, and prevent frailty. Many of the drugs being developed as senolytics (drugs that specifically rid the body of senescent cells) are natural products or repurposed drugs. Thus, translation to humans is imminently possible. Indeed, clinical trials have begun. Clinical applications for senolytics include: i) cancer survivors who age prematurely as a consequence of cytotoxic therapy, ii) elderly patients requiring cancer treatment or surgery, iii) elderly patients with multiple co-morbidities of old age, iv) frail patients, v) organ donors and recipients, vi) HIV patients, and vii) Alzheimer’s patients. The greatest barrier to clinical trials aimed at improving outcomes in these disease areas is the expertise and infrastructure to measure senescent cells in pre-clinical models and human samples. This project aims to correct that barrier at UMN.
 

Pediatric Research Biobank Improvement Project

Justin Ryder, Pediatrics, Medical School
Matching funds: Faculty funds

The overall goal of this project is to improve the current biobank infrastructure in the 717 Delaware Building to serve as a resource for the many pediatric focused investigators collecting biospecimens there. The central location was selected due to the Center for Neurobehavioral Development being located there and the Center for Pediatric Obesity Medicine moving into a new space in the building in April of 2019. At present, investigators are struggling to meet the storage demands of their studies and have had to result in storing samples in various locations on campus, which is less than ideal compared to the centralized location proposed. We are requesting funds to outfit an already designated freezer space with more new freezers (5 new freezers to fit the remaining space), upgrade several out-of-date units (3 new freezers to replace older units), and a new barcode system to catalogue and keep track of various biospecimens for multiple investigators. The Center for Pediatric Obesity Medicine will manage the infrastructure. The key users already house 4 freezers in the current location (room 102A), bringing our total to 9 freezers in a single location for long-term storage in the same location where samples are collected
 

Consolidating Transmission Electron Microscopy Services on the St. Paul Campus

Mark Sanders, University Imaging Center, Medical School
Matching funds: Medical School, College of Veterinary Medicine

A successful award would allow the Veterinary Diagnostics Laboratory (VDL) and University Imaging Centers (UIC) to work together to consolidate the recently acquired JEOL 1400Plus transmission electron microscope (TEM) efforts to the UIC allowing the TEM to remain on campus and the UIC to continue to provide services to dozens of UMN investigators centered in St. Paul. The VDL acquired TEM technology into their practice by acquiring a JEOL 1400Plus TEM and remodeling space to house it. Due to a number of factors, the VDL’s disease monitoring work by TEM will be reduced and serendipitously the UIC needs to update its failing 25-year-old Phillip CM-12. The UIC will provide the management, expertise and ancillary support tools the St. Paul TEM community needs to operate long-term. The current VDL instrument is the JEOL 1400Plus and is ideal for the UIC’s user needs. This would consolidate the TEM resources on the St. Paul campus while complimenting the exceptional CharFac EM resources located on the Minneapolis campus.
 

Precision Oxygen-Delivery Platforms to Support Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research at the AHC Duluth

Matthew Slattery, Biomedical Sciences, UMD Medical School
Matching funds: Duluth Medical School, College of Pharmacy

This proposal seeks to expand the research capabilities of the Duluth campus by purchasing a suite of platforms that will allow for a range of experiments to be performed in precisely controlled oxygen environments. Oxygen homeostasis plays a central role in biology and medicine, yet most cell-based assays are performed only under atmospheric oxygen levels (21% O2), which is significantly higher than physiological normoxia for most tissues, and too high for appropriate modeling of homeostatic disruptions like hypoxia or ischemia-reperfusion injury. Several research projects on the Duluth campus would benefit from precise oxygen-delivery platforms, but no such tools exist in Duluth. This request aims to solve that problem through the purchase of: (1) a HypOxygen h45 Workstation, which allows for cell growth and handling/processing in an environment with accurately controlled oxygen (2) a HypOxygen/Whitley i2 Instrument Workstation, which will allow for Seahorse XF-based bioenergetics monitoring within the same controlled oxygen environment, and (3) an Invitrogen EVOS FL-Auto-2 Imaging System with Onstage Incubator for live cell imaging under variable oxygen levels. Funds are also requested for additional cell culture equipment (hood, incubator) that will allow for parallel processing of cells under standard conditions (21% O2) within the same facility.
 

Transdisciplinary Research for Augmented and Virtual Reality, Motion Capture & Brain Computer Interfaces

Peter Willemsen, Computer Science, UMD Swenson College of Science & Engineering
Matching funds: UMD Academic Affairs, UMD Education & Human Service Professions, UMD School of Fine Arts, UMD Swenson College of Science & Engineering

The Motion + Media Across Disciplines (MMAD) Lab and Viz Lab (www.d.umn.edu/vizlab) is a cross-collegiate collaboration sponsored by three colleges at UMD and available to researchers U-wide in which artists, scientists and engineers work together on interdisciplinary research in science, engineering, theater, visual arts, education, social work and biomechanics. Since its inception in 2015, MMAD/Viz Lab researchers have produced over 15 research projects (some funded by NSF), a Shakespearean exhibit, a workshop on VR/dance, two operas, an interactive Ojibwe installation, and three international art exhibits. Building on this success, the MMAD/Viz Lab requests infrastructure funding to grow and support research in the science, technology, engineering, art, and math (STEAM) fields. This includes equipment such as a wireless EEG headset integrated into a virtual reality headset; a mixed reality Hololens 2 VR headset; sound amelioration; an interactive Magicbox floor and more. By continuing the MMAD/Viz Lab’s role as an incubator for research and creative works, the proposed equipment and facility upgrades will significantly expand the facility’s user base and facilitate new lines of research exploring cognitive aspects of motion and media, while enhancing existing work in its physical and creative aspects.
 

Acquisition of Refurbished Balzers Freeze-Etching System Model BAF 400 T

Joseph Zasadzinski, Chemical Engineering & Materials Science, CSENG
Matching funds: College of Pharmacy, College of Science & Engineering

Characterization of biomaterials, gels, polymers and other soft matter from the micron to nanometer scale is essential for the design and optimization of novel drug delivery systems, new diagnostic and therapeutic polymer nanostructures, biomimetic vesicles and liposomes, and other self-assembling and soft biomaterial systems that are the focus of our group’s nanotechnology efforts. Imaging biomaterials with transmission electron microscopy (TEM) is a necessary complement to X-ray, light and neutron scattering studies. However, high-resolution imaging has its own experimental limitations. The Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2017 has validated that the best method of making complex fluids and biomaterials compatible with TEM is by rapid freezing. This is followed by either direct imaging at low temperatures, or replication of a fracture surface through the frozen sample with thin films of platinum and carbon, known as freeze-fracture replication. This proposal is to update the University of Minnesota cryo-microscopy equipment with a refurbished Balzers BAF 400 T freeze-etching system at a cost of $108,000. Similar new equipment costs more than $350,000, but provides no benefit in throughput or ease of use. There is no such equipment available at the University of Minnesota or even within the Midwest region.

Achieving New Imaging Capabilities in a 10.5 Tesla MR scanner

Kamil Ugurbill, Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, Medical School
Matching funds: Medical School

Magnetic resonance techniques play an indispensable role in biomedical research. Access to this technology is provided for the entire University of Minnesota community by CMRR through its unique instrumentation and expertise. This request is for significantly improving the imaging capabilities and the usability of the most advanced MRI system recently established in CMRR, the 10.5 Tesla scanner, the highest available magnetic field for human imaging.

10.5 Tesla has been recognized as a critical tool in NIH’s BRAIN Initiative with a recently funded (priority score 11) U01 grant. It plays a central role in a recent NIH Biotechnology Research Resource grant submission to support of a plethora of biomedical applications, ranging from neuro- to musculoskeletal imaging, involving a large number of UMN investigators. 

However, the electronics of this system developed about a decade ago is inferior to the current technology. Siemens recently agreed to rectify this to enable new and unique measurement capabilities (such as 128 receive channels) and significantly improve the usability through better hardware integration and software. This upgrade is critical to enable CMRR investigators to exploit the advantages of this unique scanner in research and funding opportunities, plus enabling increased access by a large community of UMN researchers.

Acquisition of a 400MHz FT-NMR Spectrometer for Research in Chemistry/Biochemistry at UMN Morris

Nancy Carpenter, Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of Minnesota Morris Science & Math Division
Matching funds: UMM Academic Affairs, UMM Science & Math Division

The 17-year-old 300 MHz NMR spectrometer on the Morris campus is no longer dependable and is rapidly becoming obsolete. Replacement parts are currently sourced from abandoned instruments and will soon become unobtainable. NSF MRI proposals in 2014, 2015 and 2016 to replace the instrument were unsuccessful. As NMR is a fundamental tool used by UMM’s chemistry and physics faculty, UMM’s Division of Science & Mathematics proposes to decommission our current unit and replace it with a 400 MHz JEOL JNM-ECZ400S spectrometer. Reliable access to NMR will sustain our scholarly work in chemistry, physics and materials science with improved reliability and at lower operating expenses, while the upgrade to 400 MHz will dramatically improve our capability to conduct leading-edge research due to improvements in resolution, advanced techniques and efficiency. This replacement is necessary to ensure continuing progress in our research in photovoltaic materials, the intelligent design of ligands, carbohydrate synthesis, water purification, polymer science, optimization of new catalysts and fundamental research in hydrogen bonding and physics of NMR.

Acquisition of a State-of-the-Art High-Resolution X-ray Diffractometer for the UMN Characterization Facility

Chris Leighton, Chemical Engineering & Material Science, College of Science & Engineering
Matching funds: College of Pharmacy, College of Science & Engineering

X-ray diffraction (XRD) is one of the premier methods for the characterization of materials. The UMN Characterization Facility (CharFac) thus operates an entire suite of XRD instruments, serving a broad, multi-collegiate user base. The high-resolution variant of XRD is particularly important, enabling characterization of highly perfect materials, such as single crystals and epitaxial films. These materials are ubiquitous in science and technology, forming the basis for collaborative interdisciplinary research by many at the U. The CharFac therefore operates a heavily-utilized high-resolution diffractometer. This tool is now 15 years old, however, and is suffering from a litany of increasingly problematic failures. With this award we propose to address this acute problem by not only replacing this tool, but doing so with a state-of-the-art instrument with extraordinary capabilities. An instrument ideally tailored to our specifications has been offered to us by Bruker for $492,288, reflecting a negotiated discount of $193,095. Enthusiasm for this acquisition is such that 11 PIs, 1 undergraduate program, 5 departments, 2 centers, and 3 colleges have pledged support, generating $291,500 in matching. We request $200,788 to complete this fundraising and reestablish the U as a center of excellence in the practice of high-resolution XRD.

A New GC-MS-Based Metabolomics Platform for UMN Researchers

Timothy Griffin, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biophysics Med Regulatory Biochem, Medical School
Matching funds: College of Biological Sciences, College of Food, Agriculture & Natural Resource Sciences, Medical School, College of Pharmacy, College of Science & Engineering, College of Veterinary Medicine

This request is for a gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) system, for placement in the Center for Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics (CMSP). GC-MS is a core platform for the analysis of biological molecules called metabolites, which are the products of the myriad of enzymes present in living systems. Large-scale analysis of metabolites, called metabolomics, provides a valuable snapshot of the state of the biochemical reactions underlying complex biological systems. Metabolite analysis impacts many fields of study -- including health and disease in animals and humans, plant and insect biology, analysis of environmental samples (e.g. water, soil), as well as characterization of molecules relevant to food science and biofuel production. UMN researchers from across these diverse fields of study utilize the CMSP for metabolomics, and have been hampered for the last 1.5 years due to a lack of an operational GC-MS system within the facility. This request seeks to solve this problem, through the purchase of a state-of-the-art GC-MS system, as well as necessary software to enable analysis of the high throughput data generated, enabling accurate identification and quantification of metabolites from complex samples. Placement of this instrument within the CMSP will ensure broad usage by the University research community.

Building on success: Expanding CATSS research facilities

Andrew Oxenham, Psychology, College of Liberal Arts
Matching Funds: AHC Shared Units, College of Education & Human Development, College of Liberal Arts, College of Science & Engineering

This proposal seeks to expand the research facilities and capabilities of the Center for Applied and Translational Sensory Science (CATSS) by renovating a vacant room adjacent to CATSS and installing a new electrically shielded and sound-attenuating booth that will house a new 64-channel electroencephalography (EEG) system and eye-tracking system, as well as our existing functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) system. This expansion is critical, given the intense usage of the current facilities that have led to them being typically fully booked more than two weeks in advance, with an average weekly usage of more than 65 hours. The facilities are used by researchers from across the University. Having been founded less than 3 years ago, CATSS has had a large positive impact on the University’s research, training, and outreach, having attracted a large 5-year NSF graduate training grant, as well as several new research collaborations with external industry and community partners. The four founding colleges of CATSS have recently committed to contributing towards CATSS operating expenses for another 3-year period. The proposed expansion will maintain this positive trajectory and ensure that CATSS is able to continue serving its community of University researchers efficiently in the years to come.

Implementation of a Microscopy Technology that Revolutionizes Biomedical & Engineering Research

Wei Zhang, Division of Basic Sciences, School of Dentistry
Matching funds: College of Biological Sciences, School of Dentistry, Medical School, College of Science & Engineering, College of Veterinary Medicine

Funding supports a direct electron detection camera for the F30 TEM at Characterization Facility, a consolidated core shared core facility at UMN Twin Cities. This cutting edge technology allows structural analysis of molecular machineries at atomic resolution using cryo-electron microscopy techniques. Having a direct electron detection camera on campus will benefit multiple faculty members across colleges who conduct biomedical and engineering research.

Infrastructure Support for Clinical Research at the Center for Magnetic Resonance Research

Gulin Oz, Center for Magnetic Resonance Research, Medical School
Matching Funds: Medical School, College of Pharmacy

We request funds to support the salary of a research nurse to support clinical studies at the Center for Magnetic Resonance Research (CMRR). Until 2018, the Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) provided nursing services that supported CMRR studies but their revised structure now states that their employees (all are employed by University of Minnesota Physicians) may not work in non-UMP facilities. As a result, several externally funded studies have been left without the specialized nursing services needed to do their experiments at CMRR. Services provided by this research nurse include clinical assessments of research subjects with a medical condition and those who belong to a vulnerable population, such as children or elderly subjects, administration of intravenous drugs during, before and after MR scans, monitoring for adverse effects of administered drugs, collection of timed samples of blood and urine, creation and maintenance of a research environment that meets the specific medical requirements of subjects with chronic disease, and study coordination. These services will be utilized by investigators across the Medical School, School of Pharmacy and Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota.

Mach-1 Instrument for 3D Bioprinting Facility

Angela Panoskaltsis-Mortari, Ph.D., PEDS Blood/Marrow Transplant, Medical School
Matching Funds: Medical School, College of Science & Engineering, College of Veterinary Medicine

We are requesting funds to upgrade and continue operating the 3D Bioprinting Facility that was opened in 2015 through this funding mechanism. Bioprinting is an automated and versatile technology to create 3D tissue constructs (cells and extracellular matrix). The facility currently houses 8 extrusion bioprinters (dual & multi-head), a laser-assisted bioprinter, a time-lapse microscope, incubators and sterile hoods. It is being used daily by several investigators, post-docs, grad students and undergrads. However, it requires the capability to test mechanical properties of the bioprinted constructs. This needs to be done in-house. This proposal requests funds to purchase a Mach-1 instrument from Biomomentum, that is a multiple-axis mechanical tester designed for compression, tension, shear, friction and torsion. It is specifically designed for soft tissues and materials such as cartilage, skin, collagen matrices and hydrogels. We also request funds to pay 0.5 FTE for the dedicated individual to operate/maintain the facility and assist with tissue construction experiments. Funds are required to pay for the EVOS II service contract. The 3D Bioprinting Facility has garnered a >10:1 return on the previous investment by the RIO with new grants by several investigators. The ultimate goal is to enhance and maintain this facility at the forefront of bioprinting. Many new collaborations and projects have started because of this facility.

Mock Scanner Environment to Support Clinical and Pediatric Neuroimaging Research

Kathleen Thomas, Institute of Child Development, College of Education & Human Development
Matching funds: College of Education & Human Development, College of Liberal Arts, Medical School

Over the past decade, the University of Minnesota has emerged as a leader in pediatric and clinical neuroimaging. However, unlike other leading clinical imaging centers, the Center for Magnetic Resonance Research (CMRR) does not have a functioning mock-scanner facility. Clinical populations and children may suffer from anxiety or claustrophobia, or simply be scared by the MRI environment. In addition, MRI research requires participants to lie extremely still in the scanner, sometimes for as long as 1-2 hours. The current proposal seeks to fund a state-of-the-art mock MRI scanner to accurately simulate the true scanner environment and serve as a training site to prepare participants for research MRI scans. The proposed system includes a physical scanner bore (tunnel) and motorized bed, a replica of the radio frequency head coil needed for brain imaging, hardware and software to track head motion and provide adaptive feedback to the participant to train movement compliance, and the identical audio-visual equipment and response devices used to present stimuli and collect behavioral responses in the scanning environment. A modern MRI simulator, available to users across multiple units, will help insure that the University of Minnesota remains at the forefront of the pediatric and clinical neuroimaging fields.

Obesity Prevention Center: Lending Library for Nutrition Data System for Research with Online Training

Lisa Harnack, Epidemiology and Community Health Division, School of Public Health
Matching funds: School of Public Health

The University of Minnesota Obesity Prevention Center (OPC) is requesting funding to support expansion and enhancement of the equipment and protocol lending library that is maintained by the Center. Equipment and protocols are lent freely to University faculty and students carrying out obesity-prevention related research. The library is used to supplement and enhance projects ranging from internally funded pilot studies to NIH trials. The provision of equipment has proven invaluable for cost effective resource utilization and has allowed rigorous measures to be collected that otherwise would have been unaffordable. The current inventory of library equipment includes the Nutrition Data System for Research (NDSR) 2017, food amount estimation tools, laptop computers, activity monitors, body composition analyzers, scales, stadiometers, skin fold calipers, and sphygmomanometers.

Infrastructure funds will be used to address the dietary assessment related needs of library users, and will include: 1) upgrading to NDSR 2018, 2) purchasing additional laptops to support dietary recall collection in community settings, 3) purchasing telephone headsets to support collection of dietary recalls over the telephone, and 4) development of online NDSR training modules so that faculty and students can rapidly readily learn how to conduct dietary recalls using NDSR.

Outside-the-"box": Infrastructure for DIY Genomics

Kenny Beckman, Ph.D., UMN Genomics Center, AHC Shared Units
Matching funds: Academic Health Center Shared Units, College of Biological Sciences, College of Food, Agriculture & Natural Resource Sciences, Medical School, College of Pharmacy, College of Science & Engineering

Over the past 20 years, the UMGC has brought cutting-edge genomics to the UMN, usually in the form of large, expensive instruments (known in the industry as “boxes”). Access has been offered via services, as opposed to user access, due to the instruments’ size, complexity, and cost. Although genomics continues to be powered by big and expensive “boxes”, a new breed of smaller, simpler, specialized instruments designed for individual PIs, have recently entered the market.

This new wave of instruments offers a novel opportunity for direct access. We propose to acquire a suite of such instruments, and make them available not only via a full-service model, but also via a tool-lending library model (“DIY Genomics”). Similar to the way in which other cores operate, DIY instruments will be accessed at kiosks within the UMGC, or in some cases, directly in the labs of users. The UMGC will provide training, and in case of in-lab rental, we will transport, set up, and remove devices from PI labs. We view this proposal as a start-up package for a model which – if popular and successful – can be scaled in a self-sustaining fashion in the future.

Platforms to Support Biomarker Discovery in the Biorepository and Laboratory Services Division of the UMN

Cole Drifka, Biorepository & Laboratory Services, Clinical and Translational Science Institute
Matching funds: AHC Shared Units, Medical School

This proposal is to upgrade biomarker staining and imaging capabilities within Biorepository and Laboratory Services (BLS). BLS provides centralized specimen procurement, processing, storage, histology, and imaging services to the University. In our services, we offer immunostaining and slide imaging. Currently, BLS supports ~24 histology projects/month, and immunostaining increased 61% between 2016 and 2017. Researchers who request histology services also typically request slide images for publication, quantitative analysis, and education. Slide imaging requests increased 205% between 2016 and 2017.

Immunostaining and imaging services rely on outdated platforms that have limited capabilities for current demands and will soon be unsupported by vendors. Moreover, despite BLS offering immunofluorescent staining, the current imaging platform does not offer fluorescent detection. In fact, no full slide imaging platform capable of both brightfield and fluorescence exists as a University shared resource. Therefore, BLS seeks to acquire two intelliPATH immunostainers and a Zeiss AxioScan imaging platform. IntelliPATHs will allow BLS to meet an increased volume of immunostaining requests. The AxioScan will enable both high-volume brightfield and fluorescent imaging coupled with quantitative analysis software. With these upgrades, BLS will offer enhanced end-to-end services spanning specimen procurement, staining, imaging, and quantification for collaborative biomarker discovery.

Reinvestment in the whole-animal in vivo imaging system to support interdisciplinary biological and biomedical research

Tsutomu Shimotori, Administration, UMD Swenson College of Science & Engineering
Matching funds: Medical School, College of Pharmacology, UMD Swenson College of Science & Engineering

A whole-animal fluorescence imaging system is an essential research tool for studying human disease and medical conditions using animal models. For example, it allows us to monitor disease progression, track disease phenotypes in specific tissues over time, and test effects of treatments or other manipulations that can lead to cure. It is also a versatile tool for general biological research to image particular areas of small animals and plants using fluorescence probes or endogenous luminescence in large and penetrating views where a fluorescence microscope is not suitable. Our IVIS Spectrum system, originally purchased in part with RIO funds and located in the Research Instrumentation Laboratory on the Duluth campus, is the only such equipment in Duluth. It has been supporting our interdisciplinary biological and biomedical research for seven years, resulting in successful publication of journal articles and acquisition of external grants. During a recent service by PerkinElmer, we learned that its CCD camera, most important and expensive part, is aging and degrading and may fail at any time. Therefore, this grant application seeks funds to replace the CCD camera of our IVIS Spectrum system to prevent instrument downtime and interruption of ongoing research projects including NIH-funded ones.

Reinvestment and Upgrade of the UM Duluth Stable Isotope Analytical Facility

Kathryn Schreiner, Duluth Chemistry & Biochemistry, UMD Swenson College of Science & Engineering
Matching funds: UMD Swenson College of Science & Engineering

The UMD Stable Isotope Analytical facility is an interdisciplinary analytical facility vital to the continuing work of faculty and researchers through the Swenson College of Science and Engineering (SCSE), the Natural Resources Research Institute (NRRI), and multiple researchers outside of UMD. This facility was established with a successful NSF Major Research Instrumentation grant in 2003, and the instruments and equipment in the lab are now 15 years old. We request funds to 1. purchase a suite of new isotopic equipment, 2. refurbish existing equipment, and 3. support laboratory technician time to complete both of these efforts. The needs of this facility have grown significantly over the past 5 years as new faculty have been hired in SCSE and NRRI, and this laboratory upgrade is necessary to both support new research needs and increase throughput availability in the laboratory.

Scanning Electron Microscope and White Light Profilometer for University-shared AISOS space

Gilliane Monnier, Anthropology, College of Liberal Arts
Matching Funds: School of Dentistry, College of Food, Agriculture & Natural Resource Sciences, College of Liberal Arts, College of Science & Engineering

AISOS, the Advanced Imaging Service for Objects and Spaces, was created in CLA two years ago. It specializes in 2D and 3D imaging at the meso and macro scales. We now propose adding a microscopic component to the service, in the form of a tabletop SEM and a nanoscale profilometer.

The purpose of the SEM is to enable imaging and 3D surface characterization of objects difficult to study at high magnifications without the severe alteration (drying, cutting, polishing, carbon-coating) required by other SEMs on campus. The proposed SEM operates under variable pressure, providing outstanding high-magnification images and elemental information of large objects with complex topographies such as artifacts, insects, soil organic matter, and fungi. The white light non-contact 2D-3D confocal profilometer enables mapping of surfaces at a nanometer resolution. This new quantitative and portable technology has researchers from many schools keen to apply it to their work. It will enable them to quantify surfaces and wear on teeth, bone, artifacts, composite materials in dentistry, medical devices and in surface coating engineering. Both of these instruments are extremely user-friendly and will be valuable research tools useable by faculty, graduate students, and undergraduates. They will help faculty leverage external funding for research; they will enable graduate students to carry out innovative, cutting-edge research; and they will provide key opportunities to train students.

Strategic Enhancement to the Mouse Behavior Core

Michael Benneyworth, Department of Neuroscience, Medical School
Matching funds: Medical School

The Mouse Behavior Core serves a vital role in the research community at the University of Minnesota by providing access to the critical tools of behavioral research and high quality technical and scientific support. This reduces the barriers for performing translational behavioral research to investigators across campus. In April 2016, we transitioned from a grant funded core to ISO core. In the nearly two years since that transition, we have seen steady growth in our user base. As our user base has grown, we have received inquiries for adding new experimental functionality. Awards like the RIO research infrastructure grants are vital to our core, allowing us to improve testing throughput with increased capacity and stay relevant to all users by improving our capabilities with new testing services. Based on feedback from current users and prospective users we have identified three main areas that we are targeting for research infrastructure improvement; 1) motor function analysis, 2) advanced cognition testing, and 3) startle reflex. Targeting these three areas represents a strategic improvement we hope will further the core’s mission to provide high quality and state of the art testing services to the research community.

Thin Film Deposition Revitalization for the Minnesota Nano Center

Stephen Campbell, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Science & Engineering
Matching Funds: College of Science & Engineering

The Minnesota Nano Center (MNC) supports more than 400 users who collectively generate approximately $22M in externally funded research annually for the University. While users are heavily concentrated in the College of Science and Engineering, increasingly the user group includes engineers collaborating with a broad range of University faculty on technology approaches to discipline-specific problems. The majority of these users require the deposition of thin films to make their desired structures. The age of the equipment that MNC has to carry out these depositions ranges from 10 to more than 30 years old. When these systems break down, research performance can be severely impacted, degrading the faculty’s ability to complete the current research contract and making further awards less likely. This proposal would fund the replacement of components such as control electronics that are obsolete and cannot be serviced on these tools. Upgrading these tools will cost $116,000, but avoids the replacement system cost of about $2M.

Upgrade of the Hyperion Large-Scale Computer Cluster

Graham Candler, Aerospace Engineering & Mechanics, College of Science & Engineering
Matching funds: College of Science & Engineering

The Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics Department runs a computer cluster with 280 nodes and 6720 cores. It is used by 102 researchers for large-scale parallel computational simulations. Users are primarily from AEM, but also include Chemistry, Mechanical Engineering, and Economics. The cluster supports research in high-speed gas dynamics, atomistic studies of gas-surface interactions and solid mechanics, computational chemistry, and the study of economic dynamics. The cluster is intended for two types of calculations: large-scale, long-running simulations, and moderate-scale, rapid-turnaround runs. This enables different types of simulations than can be run at the Minnesota Supercomputing Center. The current cluster is five years old and desperately needs an upgrade (98 nodes are offline and many of those are dead). Therefore, we propose to decommission two racks (70 dead nodes) and replace them with new nodes based on AMD EPYC processors. Benchmarks show that these processors are approximately 8 times faster than the current processors, and they are particularly effective on memory-intensive applications, like most of the code run on the present cluster. The proposed upgrade would triple the performance of the current machine. Each rack costs approximately $200K, so the total cost would be $400K.

Viral Vector and Cloning Core

Kevin Wickman, Pharmacology, Medical School
Matching funds: AHC Shared Units, Medical School

The Viral Vector and Cloning Core (VVCC) is a new Internal Service Organization at the University of Minnesota. The goal of this service core is to help investigators develop and utilize powerful DNA and viral vector tools to enhance their research programs. The presence of a convenient and cost-effective custom DNA and viral vector core will facilitate the initiation and expansion of biomedical research projects, increase the impact of resultant publications, and enhance the prospects of securing external funding for research projects directed by investigators at the University of Minnesota. Support from the RIO Research Infrastructure Investment Program is requested to help the VVCC purchase dedicated equipment needed to meet the increasing demands of an expanding client base, to offset personnel costs associated with VVCC services during this critical stage of core expansion, and to increase the visibility of this new service core within the local biomedical research community at the University of Minnesota.

Acquisition of a Mössbauer Spectrometer

Bruce Moskowitz, Department of CSEND Earth Sciences, College of Science and Engineering
Matching funds: Bruce Moskowitz, Marc Hirschmann, Earth Sciences, Science and Engineering

Funding supports the acquisition of new 57Fe Mössbauer Spectrometer to complement theexisting but aging spectrometer in the Institute for Rock Magnetism (Department of Earth Sciences). Mössbauer spectroscopy provides important information about the magnetic ordering structure, nanomagnetism, oxidation state, and local site symmetry and coordination of Fe ions in iron-bearing natural, biological, and synthetic materials. The new system will provide two major improvements: (1) It will allow a more favorable source-detector geometry, significantly decreasing the time to collect spectra and affording faster sample throughput; and (2) The reduced measurement time and an improved design for the liquid helium dewar will significantly reduce the amount of liquid He (a non-renewable resource) used during low-temperature scanning, and reduce cost.
 

Core Facility for Stem Cell Reprogramming and Translation at the UMN Stem Cell Institute

James Dutton, GCD MS Stem Cell Institute, Medical School
Matching funds: James Dutton, Jakub Tolar, Angela Panoskaltsis-Mortari, Brenda Ogle, Rita Perlingeiro, Nobuski Kikyo, Timothy O'Brien, Wei-Sou u, Bruce Walcheck, Robert Tranquillo, Wei Shen, Paolo Provenzano, Biomedical Engineering, Ann Parr, Walter Low

We are beginning to see the practice of medicine being changed by the clinical application of cells derived from pluripotent stem cells, the use of adult stem cells, gene edited stem cell-derived products and the potential for clinical cell reprogramming. To maintain a leading position in this field of regenerative medicine there is now a critical need to expand infrastructure supporting the clinical translation of stem cell related treatments at the University of Minnesota.
 

Establishment of University of Minnesota Crookston Center for Collaborative Research (UMC-CCR)

Venugopal Mukku, Math, Science and Technology Department, UMC Math, Science, Technology
Matching Funds: Crookston Chancellor

Funding supports the establishment of a Center for Collaborative Research (CCR) at the University of Minnesota Crookston (UMC). This will be the first centralized, self-contained facility capable of supporting much of the lab research needs of scientists in the Agricultural and Natural Resources (ANR) Department, the Math, Science and Technology (MST) Department and the Northwest Research and Outreach Center (NWROC).
 

FACSCelesta Flow Cytometer Upgrade – St. Paul Campus

Bruce Walcheck, Veterinary Biomedical Science, College of Veterinary Medicine
Matching funds: Bruce Walcheck, Veterinary Medicine

Funding supports the replacement of the 11-year old FACSCanto flow cytometer located in the College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) Shared Resources Facility for Cellular and Protein Analysis on the St. Paul Campus Funds will be used to purchase a Becton Dickinson FACSCelesta. The Celesta (3 lasers, 12 fluorescent probes and 14 parameters) will expand the analytic capacity of the current Canto (2 lasers, 6 fluorescent probes, and 8 parameters). While flow cytometry is available on the East Bank, there are significant scheduling, sample stability, and IBC compliance barriers that limit sample transport and require local analysis.
 

A High-resolution Quantitative Mass Spectrometry system for Collaborative Metabolomics Research

Chi Chen, Department of Food Science and Nutrition, College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences
Matching funds: Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences, Animal Science, Bioproduct and Biosystems Engineering, Veterinary Diagnostic Lab, AHC, Kinesiology, Biotechnology Institute, Medicine

Funding supports the acquisition of a high-resolution quantitative liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) system for collaborative metabolomics and lipidomics research.Besides untargeted metabolomic analysis on the metabolites differing in mass and LC retention, the ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) in this system will be able to distinguish the isobaric and isomeric metabolites with comparable LC retention, which commonly occur in lipidomic analysis as well as in the analysis of carbohydrate and peptide metabolites. The high-resolution separation and sensitive quantitation of this system will greatly improve the capacity of metabolomic analysis in the Laboratory of Nutritional Metabolomics, and benefit many collaborative research projects.
 

HumanFIRST Laboratory Driving Simulator Renovation

Max Donath, CSENG Mechanical Engineering Administration, College of Science and Engineering
Matching funds: Science and Engineering

Funds will update components of both the HumanFIRST immersive driving simulator and portable simulator. The immersive simulator comprises a 2002 Saturn full-vehicle cab featuring haptic feedback through vehicle vibration and a three-axis limited-range motion system. The environment is projected on a five-channel, 210-degree forward visual field screen with rear views provided by a rear screen and side-mirror mounted LCD panels. When installed, the immersive simulator was among the best in the country. This project will update the simulators’ computer, projector systems, and immersive simulator vehicle chassis to re-engage Minnesota as a national leader in driving behavior research. Upgrades will support research examining new Human-Machine Interfaces (HMI) for driver situation awareness, facilitate safe hand-off between automated and manual driving, and warn drivers of collisions via “Connected Vehicles” systems.
 

Implementation of Light-Sheet Fluorescence Microscope Workflow at the University Imaging Centers

Mark Sanders, University Imaging Center, Medical School
Matching funds: Neuroscience, Biomedical Engineering, University Imaging Center, AHC

Funding supports the purchase of a light-sheet fluorescence microscope (LSFM), a state-of-the-art fluorescence microscope that will permit three-dimensional imaging of biological and biomedical specimens with unprecedented spatial and temporal resolution. This equipment will serve the growing group of researchers in the College of Biological Sciences, AHC/Medical School and the College of Science and Engineering departments studying developmental, disease, aging and regenerative processes in a variety of model tissues (brain, heart, tumor and organoids) and organisms (mouse, zebrafish, plants, nemotodes, and fly) whose research will be greatly enhanced by the ability to conduct three-dimensional tissue imaging. It will also serve scientists located in the neighboring units of Stem Cell Institute, Institute for Translational Neuroscience, Agriculture Experiment Station, Lillehei Heart Institute, and the Cancer Center. This instrument and expertise will significantly improve basic research programs aimed at understanding systems in development and regeneration in plants and animals, cell-cell signaling, cardiac rhythms, and neurobiology.
 

Liquid Flow Cell TEM Holder for the UMN Characterization Facility

Mahesh Mahanthappa, CSENG Chemical Engineering and Material Science Admin, College of Science and Engineering
Matching funds: IPRIME, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, MRSEC, Characterization Facility

Funding supports the acquisition of a new generation, state-of-the-art, specialized holder to be used with a transmission electron microscope (TEM) for in-situ liquid flow experiments with heating and electrical measurements at ultra-high-resolution. The holder will be part of the Characterization Facility (CharFac) of the College of Science and Engineering. Atomic-resolution TEM is an exceptional experimental instrument, but when combined with real-time in-situ liquid flow experiments with heating and electrical measurements, it will be a powerful and unique experimental tool for the understanding of real-time liquid chemistry and characterization of many nanoscale materials during their formation. The holder will be maintained by the CharFac staff. The staff will provide technical support and training of student and research personnel. The holder will be available to the entire University community as any other shared instrumentation in the CharFac without any additional charge.
 

Minnesota Nano Center (MNC) Core Electron Beam Lithography Software Package Upgrade

Mo Li, CSENG ECE Admin, College of Science and Engineering
Matching funds: Science and Engineering

Funding supports a major upgrade of the control and pattern generation software system for the electron beam lithography system at the Minnesota Nano Center (MNC). Upgrading the software to the latest version (Beamer V5.3 by GenISys) will bring significant improvement in the performance of the instrument and add new functionalities. The upgrade will benefit multiple faculty members across departments (ECE, Physics, CEMS, Bioengineering, etc.) who conduct research in nanotechnology.
 

MNC Parylene Thin Film Deposition System

Sarah Swisher, CSEND ECE Admin, College of Science and Engineering
Matching Funds: Science and Engineering

Funding supports a new thin film Parylene deposition system for the Minnesota Nano Center (MNC), a core shared facility for the University, providing micro- and nanofabrication capabilities to hundreds of users . This tool deposits an ultra-thin conformal polymer coating with excellent moisture, chemical, and dielectric barrier properties. The coating is inert and biocompatible (approved by the FDA for external and implanted medical devices), and has a wide variety of uses including medical devices, electronics, and even military/aerospace applications. The new Parylene deposition system will enable a diverse array of research pursuits, including: encapsulating carbon fiber neural recording arrays, insulating RF circuits to reduce signal migration, and creating ultra-thin mechanically flexible circuits.
 

Refurbishment and Upgrade of Micro-CT Facilities within School of Dentistry

Alex Fok, Division of Dental Biomaterials, School of Dentistry
Matching Funds: Dentistry

Funding supports the refurbishment and upgrade of the school's existing micro-CT machine by installing a bigger, slidable digital flat-panel detector to improve the signal-to-noise ratio of the images captured. This will allow 3D images of more radiolucent samples to be obtained with greater clarity. In addition, funding will provide specialty training to staff to improve their sample preparation (especially in the use of contrast agents) and image analysis techniques.
 

Renovation of the University of Minnesota Zebrafish Core Facility

Mark Masino, NSCI Neuroscience Administration, Medical School
Matching Funds: Medical School, Neuroscience, Genetics Cell Biology and Development

Funding supports an upgraded University of Minnesota Zebrafish Core Facility to enhance user research productivity and increase the number of trainees in the labs of facility users. The core has been an integral component of the research and teaching missions of the university for the past 15 years and it currently houses approximately 12,000 zebrafish. However, the equipment required for the housing, breeding and maintenance of fish lines in the core has not been upgraded since it was originally established in 2002.
 

UMN Medical Devices Center High End 3D Printing Upgrade

Arthur Erdman, CSENG Mechanical Engineering Admin, College of Science and Engineering
Matching Funds: Science and Engineering, Medical Devices Center, Medical School

Funding supports an upgrade of the current Stratasys Objet Connex260 3D printer to the new Stratasys J750 machine to expand the research support services the Medical Devices Center (MDC) can provide to AHC, CSE, and other units at the UMN. While the Connex260 is currently the highest resolution 3D printer on campus with 32 micron layer resolution, the J750 allows printing with six materials of different durometers/mechanical properties at the same time, enables the usage of 360,000 different colors, prints at 14 micron layer resolution, and decreases print time reducing printing costs for UMN researchers. The upgrade would enable printing of colored anatomical and non-medical models that require high resolution and variable durometer (stiffness) to replicate natural and envisioned systems.

3D Bioprinting Facility

Angela Panoskaltsis-Mortari, Pediatrics, Medical School
Matching funds: Medical School, College of Science & Engineering, Angela Panoskaltsis-Mortari, Biomedical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Stem Cell Institute

This investment supports the continued operation of the new UMN 3D Bioprinting facility that has spawned new, synergistic, intercollegiate research partnerships. Bioprinting is an automated and versatile platform technology to create 3-dimensional tissue constructs composed of living cells and/or biological substances. The award supports a dedicated scientist who manages the facility, assists investigators with tissue construction experiments, and incorporates new bioprinting technologies. It also provides funds for the purchase of an EVOS incubated imaging system with which bioprinted constructs can be monitored over time in a sterile, closed system during tissue incubation and maturation with 3D image stacking capabilities. The facility is located in room 269 DVCRC/KE, and offers single-, dual-, and multi-head extrusion, as well as state-of-the-art laser-assisted bioprinting. This facility is available for all researchers interested in regenerative medicine, cell therapies, bioengineering, mechanical engineering, biomaterials, surgery, stem cell biology, disease modeling, drug screening, medical devices, robotics, and computational and mathematical modeling of tissue formation.

Advanced Imaging Services for Objects and Spaces

Gilliane Monnier, Department of Anthropology, College of Liberal Arts (CLA)
Matching funds: Department of Anthropology, Department of Geography, Department of Earth Sciences, CLA, Bell Museum of Natural History, Department of Computer Science and Engineering

The Advanced Imaging Service for Objects and Spaces (AISOS) will be a new facility on campus dedicated to 2D and 3D imaging at the macro- and meso-scales. The facility will house advanced technology for exploring objects and artifacts with new levels of precision, including gigapixel macro imaging, reflectance transformation imaging, photogrammetry and structured-light 3D scanning. This will enable researchers across campus to gather images of objects (art, ethnographic objects, artifacts), scientific samples (biological, geological), spaces (buildings, landscapes) and archival materials. These images will be suitable for publication, instruction and exhibit purposes, as well as for quantitative analyses. AISOS will house the instrumentation and expertise necessary to help researchers whose work relies on the analysis of objects.

Establishing Driven to Discover as a Permanent Presence at the Minnesota State Fair

Ellen Demerath, Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, School of Public Health (SPH)
Matching funds: Medical School; College of Education and Human Development; Division of Epidemiology and Clinical Research, Pediatrics; SPH; University Libraries

The Driven to Discover Research Facility (D2D) at the Minnesota State Fair is an innovative facility that provides a public face for the University that builds a culture of research participation among Minnesotans, communicates research results directly to the public and provides a pipeline to studies conducted at the University. D2D links the University’s massive research capacity with the over 1.8 million fairgoers each year for recruitment into research studies that represent a diverse array of departments, colleges and campuses. Activities funded through this grant will expand the capacity of the facility with greater support for: external grant applications; enhanced pre-Fair publicity and recruitment protocols; mechanisms for returning results of D2D studies to the public; and a public venue for engagement with University research generally.

FIB/SEM Dual-Beam System for the UMN Characterization Facility

K. Andre Mkhoyan, Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, College of Science and Engineering (CSE)
Matching Funds: Department of Earth Sciences, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Material Research Science and Engineering Center, Characterization Facility, CSE Dean’s Office.

Funding from this award will allow for the acquisition of a state-of-the-art, combined focus ion beam and scanning electron microscope system (FIB/SEM Dual-Beam) to fill a critical need for the U’s Characterization Facility. This system will dramatically improve the UMN’s role as one of the leaders in nanotechnology research. This FIB/SEM Dual-Beam system will make previously inaccessible scientific study possible, allowing researchers to push the limits of understanding of the fundamentals of nanoscale materials through nanoscale cutting, patterning and manipulating a wide range of materials with parallel SEM-based, high resolution imaging and spectroscopy.

Malvern Zetasizer Nano ZS for Size and Zeta Potential Measurements

Tonya C. Schoenfuss, Midwest Dairy Foods Research Center, College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences (CFANS)
Matching Funds: Malvern Instruments, Midwest Dairy Foods Research Center, Tonya Schoenfuss Foundation Account, Gary Reineccius Foundation Account

Zeta potential evaluates the tendency of particles in solutions to interact. These tendencies are important elements of foods, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and innumerable industrial and environmental applications. This award will fund a Malvern Zetasizer Nano ZS, which will allow food science and nutrition researchers to evaluate modifications to dairy and other protein ingredients. The instrument will make new projects possible, including evaluating mixes of proteins for “clean label” ingredient applications in foods and hydrolyzing and cross-linking soy and dairy proteins to change their functional properties and allergenicity. The system will also allow researchers to select shell material for emulsions to get the best interaction with a protective coating, as well as to improve the feed efficiency of piglets and the viability of probiotic microorganisms during digestion.

Minnesota Nano Center Core Facility Device Application Upgrade

Stephen Campbell, Minnesota Nano Center (MNC), CSE
Matching funds: CSE Associate Dean Mos Kaveh, MNC non-sponsored funds

The Minnesota Nano Center is a core research facility that supports about 300 academic and industry users with the equipment needed to make micro- and nano-scale structures for a wide range of applications. This award aids MNC in targeting the crucial step of cutting and packaging structures to enable them to be tested and used. The grant will allow for the acquisition of a substrate saw and a wafer bonder, both of which replace old systems designed to only work on silicon wafers and simple geometries. The new tools will enable researchers working in nontraditional implement their devices in real applications.

Minnesota Nano Center Core Thin Film Etching and Characterization Upgrade

Stephen Campbell, Minnesota Nano Center (MNC), CSE
Matching funds: CSE Associate Dean Mos Kaveh, MNC non-sponsored funds

This award funds upgrades to two areas of the MNC where many users currently rely on old legacy tools that are no longer supported by the vendor. The first will replace a system from the 1970s with a new system that allows researchers to rapidly map film thickness, producing 3D renderings of film thickness uniformity. This is a ubiquitous requirement in a lab where almost all structures are made by successive deposition and patterning of thin films. The second purchase will upgrade a 20-year-old etch tool, replacing the control electronics and software, which are now unsupported by the vendor. This upgrade will allow MNC to avoid fully replacing the tool at a higher cost.

Molybdenum Micro-Focus Source Technology for X-ray Diffraction

Connie C. Lu, Department of Chemistry, CSE
Matching Funds: Department of Chemistry, CSE

Single-crystal X-ray diffraction is arguably the best method for determining the 3D structures of chemical compounds at atomic-level resolution. Understanding chemical structure at this level of detail is critical for designing catalysts, developing methods for synthesizing drugs, evaluating how chemical compounds function and facilitating serendipitous discovery that drives research in new directions. This award will fund the integration of a molybdenum X-ray source into the X-ray diffractometer, an instrument in the X-ray Crystallographic Laboratory (XCL) used by 17 research groups across five University departments. The molybdenum X-ray source generates ultra-bright radiation, which can dramatically improve signal to noise and provide higher quality data in less time, leading to enhanced research productivity. The source’s capabilities will also provide opportunities for new collaborations within the XCL.

Nanoliter Acoustic Droplet Ejection Dispenser to Support Drug Discovery

Jon Hawkinson, High Throughput Screening & Assay Development Facility, Institute for Therapeutics Discovery and Development, College of Pharmacy
Matching funds: College of Pharmacy, Institute for Therapeutics Discovery and Development

Nanoliter acoustic droplet ejection technology uses sound energy to provide highly accurate, fully automated, non-contact dispensing of nanoliter volumes of fluids. The Echo 550 Nanoliter Acoustic Droplet Ejection Dispenser makes it feasible to directly transfer nanoliter volumes of compounds in DMSO at high concentration from source plates to 96- or 384-well destination plates in a high-throughput manner to achieve final assay concentrations. The primary applications include High-Throughput Screening (HTS) and Fragment-Based Screening (FBS) campaigns, Structure-Activity Relationship (SAR) projects, cherry-picking screening hits, and dose-responses to generate potency values for biochemical, biophysical, and cell-based assays. The Echo 550 will also have the ability to transfer nanoliter volumes of aqueous samples, opening up the possibility of conducting genetic screens.

The Echo 550 Nanoliter Acoustic Droplet Ejection Dispenser will support a broad range of drug discovery projects in diverse therapeutic areas in collaboration with numerous Principal Investigators in several colleges at the University of Minnesota.

Pacific Biosciences Sequel System: Bringing Long-Read Next-Gen Sequencing to the UMN

Kenneth Beckman, University of Minnesota Genomics Center (UMGC), Academic Health Center
Matching Funds: Academic Health Center

The Genomics Center provides next-generation sequencing (NGS) services to the University research community. Over the past two years, a “long-read” NGS technology called Single Molecule Real-Time (“SMRT”) Sequencing has matured to sequence single DNA molecules up to 60,000 bases long — two orders of magnitude longer than current UMN instruments. This award will fund the acquisition of a cutting-edge Pacific Biosciences SMRT Sequencing instrument that operates at dramatically lower cost and higher efficiency. The system will fill a gap in the University’s current technological portfolio and enable new research avenues, allowing scientists to carry out experiments that are difficult or impossible with short-read NGS. Examples include independent assembly of novel genomes, complete re-sequencing of microbial isolates and genetic diagnoses of difficult-to-sequence genetic disorders.

Purchase of Asphalt Mixture Performance Tester/Asphalt Standard Tester

Manik Barman, Department of Civil Engineering, Swenson College of Science and Engineering, University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD)
Matching funds: Manik Barman start-up funds; Department of Civil Engineering at UMD

The performance of asphalt pavement largely relies on the quality of the asphalt mixtures used in its construction. An Asphalt Mixture Performance Tester (AMPT) is a compact servo-hydraulic testing machine that characterizes the performance of asphalt mixtures against typical pavement distresses. An AMPT can conduct a number of asphalt mixture performance tests with the same equipment, including fatigue tests on new- or recycled- asphalt mixtures, resistance tests against rutting and stiffness tests. The award will fund a new AMPT, which is a necessity for a modern asphalt pavement engineering laboratory and will help in conducting research on sustainable asphalt materials. Research projects funded by the Minnesota Department of Transportation, Local Road Research Board of Minnesota and Federal Highway Administration can be conducted using this equipment.

Rapid Sequencing Capacity to Transform Collaborative Animal Agriculture Research in Minnesota

Timothy Johnson, College of Veterinary Medicine and Mid-Central Research and Outreach Center (MCROC)
Matching Funds: Willmar Poultry Company, Purina/PMI Feed Additives, Phibro Animal Health, MCROC Lab; Jennie-O Turkey

With the threat of livestock diseases such as avian influenza, it is essential to be ready to quickly identify and respond to threats. Industry-academia collaborations at the University’s Mid-Central Research and Outreach Center, located in Willmar, Minn., require rapid sequencing with immediate turnaround for applications such as the development of vaccines and antibiotic alternatives. This award will fund an Illumina MiniSeq system to be implemented at MCROC along with computational resources supporting acquisition and rapid analyses of genomic data. The addition of MiniSeq at MCROC will transform researchers’ ability to predict, identify and respond to emerging issues in poultry production. It will also strengthen collaborative research with industry using a new dual-purpose partnership model applicable to all of animal agriculture.

Obesity Prevention Center Lending Library of Research Equipment, Software and Protocols

Melissa Laska and Lisa Harnack, Obesity Prevention Center (OPC)
Matching funds: OPC

The Obesity Prevention Center’s lending library provides research equipment, software and protocol training to University researchers conducting obesity prevention research. The library is heavily used and there is often a wait list for equipment. This funding will expand inventory in the lending library to accommodate increased requests and to add new state-of-the-art technologies, including 24-hour physical activity monitors and larger-capacity body composition analyzers for measuring heavier research participants. Increasing the availability of research equipment will improve the quality of research projects, reduce equipment costs, enhance cross-disciplinary collaboration and provide more opportunities for the high-quality training. The enhanced lending library will provide added support for internally funded developmental research projects and will help to strengthen proposals for extramural obesity prevention research.

3D Bioprinting/Biofabrication Facility

Angela Panoskaltsis-Mortari, Bioprinting Facility, Medical School
Matching funds: Medical School, Lillehei Heart Institute, Institute for Engineering in Medicine, Stem Cell Institute, Angela Panoskaltsis-Mortari, Jay Zhang, Biomedical Engineering, Daniel Vallera

Funding will establish a facility for bioprinting and biofabrication that enables new, synergistic, intercollegiate research partnerships. Bioprinting is an automated and versatile platform technology used to create 3D tissue constructs composed of living cells and/or biological substances. A dedicated scientist will operate and maintain the facility and assist with all tissue construction experiments for investigators. It will be located in room 269 DVCRC/KE, and will offer extrusion as well as state-of-the-art laser-assisted bioprinting.

This facility will open new avenues of investigation for all researchers interested in regenerative medicine, cell therapies, bioengineering, surgery, disease modeling, drug screening, medical devices and computational and mathematical modeling of tissue formation. From the convergence of these disciplines, the emergence of novel findings will reinforce the U’s reputation for cutting-edge science and lead to successful future national funding proposals.

Acquisition of a Modern X-Ray and UV Photoelectron Spectrometer for Materials Analysis

Greg Haugstad, Characterization Facility, College of Science and Engineering (CSE)
Matching funds: CSE, Materials Research Science and Engineering Center, Characterization Facility

Photoelectron spectroscopy is a technique that precisely analyzes the composition and electronic structure of materials to reveal the types of atoms present, atomic composition across a material, the nature of chemical bonding between atoms and electronic band structure for valence electrons. Photoelectron spectroscopy is highly sensitive to the near-surface portion of materials, making it an essential tool for characterizing ultrathin films and nanoscale objects, along with new two-dimensional materials such as graphene and silicene. The technology also aids in understanding technological issues, such as improving the way biomolecules and cells adhere to the surface of biomedical devices.

This tool will benefit research not only in the traditional technological disciplines, but in many biomedical fields and in the environmental and atmospheric sciences. It will replace 30-year-old technology, radically improving lateral spatial resolution, energy resolution, sensitivity and angle-resolved measurements. It also adds UV excitation and the ability to examine valence electron states.

Anthropology Department Collections Stewardship

Matt Edling, Department of Anthropology, College of Liberal Arts (CLA)
Matching funds: CLA, Department of Anthropology

Funding will upgrade the collections storage infrastructure located within the Evolutionary Anthropology Laboratories. The Department of Anthropology holds important archaeological, comparative skeletal and primatological collections that are used in a diverse array of research projects. Upgrading the collections storage infrastructure will help safeguard the collections from potential threats and will ensure that these they will be available for future generations of researchers to use.

Broadening the Base: Next-Gen Library Creation Tools

Kenneth Beckman, University of Minnesota Genomics Center (UMGC)
Matching funds: UMGC

Over the past five years, next-generation sequencing (NGS) has grown to occupy over 75 percent of the University of Minnesota Genomics Center’s efforts. During this time, the UMGC has focused on acquiring and implementing DNA sequencers. While DNA sequencers continue to improve, some of the most exciting recent innovations have been in sophisticated tools for preparing the sample “libraries” that are put into sequencing instruments.

Through this funding, the UMGC will acquire a number of library creation devices and provide pilot projects for investigators, including: Illumina NeoPrep, an innovative robot that uses a sealed microfluidic “card” to miniaturize and radically transform library creation; 10X Genomics GemCode, which uses a process of “emulsion” droplets to partition a sample into millions of individual reactions; and Sage Science ELF and Pippin HT, which use electrophoresis to precisely excise DNA molecules from agarose gels and support "long-read” sequencing technologies.

Building an Autism Spectrum Disorders Registry: A Unique Partnership Opportunity Between the University of Minnesota and the State of Minnesota

Frank Symons, Institute for Community Integration, College of Education and Human Development (CEHD)
Matching funds: CEHD, Department of Pediatrics, Academic Health Center

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a lifelong chronic neurodevelopmental disorder with a profound health and educational burden and associated costs. A public health surveillance system and registry for ASD will allow the U, in partnership with the state of Minnesota, to assess the occurrence of ASD and provide data to inform an evidence-based public health response, with the goal of earlier diagnosis to increase intervention impact, improve outcomes and decrease costs. The surveillance and registry system will also help the U recruit and retain world-class scholarly and clinical talent and increase its national impact in ASD research.

The registry will leverage five domains: estimating prevalence and monitoring trends in ASD; assuring children who have ASD and their families are linked to appropriate health care and related services; informing policy and program decisions; addressing concerns about ASD in communities and educating citizens and professionals about ASD; and supporting health services and etiologic research.

Building on Success: Expanding the MSP

Andrew Oxenham, Multi-Sensory Perception Lab, CLA
Matching funds: Center for Applied and Translational Sensory Science, CLA, CEHD, Department of Psychology, Department of Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences, Dr. Legge’s faculty non-sponsored research account, Andrew Oxenham’s McKnight Professorship account

The UMN has an exceptional concentration of world-class researchers in many areas of human perception and action spanning several colleges, departments and centers. The Multi-Sensory Perception (MSP) Laboratory has provided shared research facilities for perception research across the university. This new award will provide the resources for a much-needed expansion of the facilities, with an emphasis on making the testing environment more suitable for clinical and translational sensory research. The expanded MSP will provide the core on-site research facilities for the newly founded Center for Applied and Translational Sensory Science.

Directly Combined Gas Chromatograph-Quadrupole Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometer For Accurate Mass GC/MS Measurements

Joe Dalluge, Department of Chemistry Mass Spectrometer Laboratory, CSE
Matching funds: Stem Cell Institute, Department of Surgery, Department of Veterinary Population Medicine, Center for Sustainable Polymers, Department of Chemistry, CSE

Funding will provide a directly combined gas chromatograph-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometer for accurate mass GC/MS and GC/MS/MS measurements. This instrumentation will replace a GC/magnetic sector mass spectrometer that experienced an irreparable failure in 2014, and will significantly expand the university’s capabilities in characterizing a wide range of chemical species, from small molecules and metabolites to synthetic polymers. In addition to providing routine analysis capabilities to users spanning multiple departments and colleges, it will also cater to the needs of externally funded principal investigators from across departments, colleges, centers and institutes who need high levels of resolution, speed, sensitivity and mass accuracy GC/MS analysis.

As such, this instrument will foster interdisciplinary and intercollegiate collaboration that opens up new approaches to research that promise to advance our understanding of the chemical mechanisms of disease, accelerate development of next-generation polymeric materials and lead the way to accelerate the design, synthesis and characterization of new compounds and materials.

High-Throughput Single Cell Isolation by Fluorescence-Activated Cell Sorting

Sebastian Behrens, Department of Civil, Environmental and Geo-Engineering, CSE/BioTechnology Institute (BTI)
Co-Investigators: Satoshi Ishii and Mike Sadowsky, Department of Soil, Water & Climate, Biotechnology Institute/College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences (CFANS); Raymond Hozalski, Timothy LaPara and Joseph Labuz, Department of Civil, Environmental and Geo-Engineering, BTI/CSE; Michael Smanski, Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology & Biophysics, BTI/College of Biological Sciences (CBS); Will Harcombe, Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, BTI/CBS; Jeffrey Gralnick and Daniel Bond, Department of Microbiology, Medical School
Matching Funds: MnDRIVE; BTI; CSE; Department of Civil, Environmental and Geo-Engineering

Funding will acquire a cell sorter for the BioTechnology Resource Center for high-throughput microbial cell isolation using fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS). Microbial cells can be identified and recovered by FACS based on cell properties and light scatter signals. The new flow cytometry platform will have three lasers and small particle detection for optimized detection and sorting of bacterial and archaeal cells. Individual microbial cells or populations of cells that other microbiological techniques cannot isolate or cultivate can now be sorted from a broad range of microbial samples, including environmental samples like wastewater and drinking water. The new cell sorter will also have an exchangeable fluidics system so researchers can replace the complete fluidics path between sample runs, preventing cross-contamination between users.

These unique properties distinguish the new cell sorter from other flow sorters on campus and make this instrument particularly suited for advanced applications in applied and environmental microbiology.

Hydraulic Power Supply for the Mechanical Testing of Resilient and Sustainable Structures, Pavements, Geomaterials, and Medical Devices

Carol Shield, Department of Civil, Environmental and Geo-Engineering, CSE
Matching funds: CSE; Department of Civil, Environmental and Geo-Engineering; Center for Transportation Studies

Funding will acquire a 150 gallons-per-minute hydraulic power supply (HPS) to replace the existing, outdated HPS in the Civil Engineering Building. The HPS is the workhorse for mechanically testing systems related to bridges, pavements, geotechnics, mining and even medical devices. Mechanical testing measures the strength and stiffness of structures, materials and components, information needed to evaluate and improve functionality. A significant portion of the U’s mechanical testing has supported local and state agencies like the Minnesota Department of Transportation, and U researchers use the HPS to investigate efficient building concepts.

The Civil Engineering Building’s facilities are unique in Minnesota, and the new HPS is needed to continue this important work. The system will be energy-efficient, using 15 percent less electrical power, and environmentally friendly, using less cooling water. It will ensure the university can continue to conduct sustainable transportation and building research and support mechanical testing of rock and other geomaterials.

Motion Imaging Data Acquisition for Musculoskeletal Mechanistic, Diagnostic and Guided Treatment Research

Paula Ludewig, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Medical School
Co-Investigators: Arin Ellingson and Jonathan Braman, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, School of Medicine
Matching funds: Physical Therapy Program, Faculty Start-up Funds, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Research Funds, Minnesota Partnership Grant

Funding will significantly advance the infrastructure for motion imaging of the musculoskeletal system. Coupled with a recent Minnesota Partnership grant, the award will advance research capabilities to allow for high-speed, biplanar, 3D imaging. The enhanced system will have larger field-of-view imaging, support structure capable of alignment for imaging all joints from the cervical spine to the foot, installing the expanded system, and using specialized technical expertise to develop protocols and self-guided application materials for other potential shared users. The possible range of musculoskeletal applications encompasses nearly all bone and joint structures where pathology or dysfunction occurs.

There is a great need for highly accurate human motion imaging techniques for health and physical performance research. Enhancing this infrastructure will allow for intra- and inter-institutional grant proposals for cutting-edge musculoskeletal research, and will position this biotechnology partnership as a world leader in musculoskeletal motion imaging research and translation.

MRI Field Camera Acquisition System

Kamil Ugurbil, Center for Magnetic Resonance Research (CMRR)
Matching funds: CMRR, Ugurbil Retention Commitment

Center for Magnetic Resonance Research will acquire a field camera acquisition system that provides the necessary hardware and software for improved image reconstruction and scanner calibration capabilities. CMRR investigators will be able to exploit the data collected by this instrument to develop and incorporate improvements in image acquisition and reconstruction for core techniques like functional brain imaging (fMRI) and diffusion-weighted imaging for anatomical connectivity (dMRI). These techniques are used by a large community of UMN investigators from multiple schools and departments to study the human brain in health and disease.

Rarig Proscenium Theater Dimming System

Marcus Dilliard, Rarig Center
Co-Investigators: Martin Gwinup, Department of Theatre Arts and Dance, CLA; David Blank, Department of Chemistry, CSE
Matching funds: Department of Theatre Arts and Dance, Department of Chemistry

Funding will replace the current stage lighting control system, a vital first step in restoring a vibrant, fully functioning proscenium theater — one that useful to faculty and staff researchers in the Department of Theatre Arts and Dance along with those in other departments and colleges. This cross-college collaboration is an important research initiative for Theatre Arts and Dance faculty as well as candidates of the MFA program in Design and Technology. A technologically healthy Whiting Proscenium Theater will support a wide variety of interdisciplinary projects and collaborations.

One example of such a collaboration is the partnership between the Department of Theatre Arts and Dance, the Department of Chemistry, and the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science to present “Energy and U” in Rarig Center, which has developed into a semi-annual event to get elementary students excited about science and engineering.

A Replacement MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometer to Support Interdisciplinary Biomolecular Research

Tim Griffin, Center for Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics, CBS
Matching funds: CBS; Allied Health Center/Medical School; CFANS; Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics

Funding provides a replacement matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometer for use in the Center for Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics (CMSP), an all-campus facility serving the needs of hundreds of biological researchers at the U. This instrument, which replaces a MALDI-TOF instrument that was obtained in 1998 and is no longer operational, will provide improved performance, including better mass resolution and mass accuracy, as well as new capabilities for mass imaging. The new instrument offers simple and rapid mass measurements of a variety of biomolecules (e.g. proteins, lipids, carbohydrates), complementing the suite of other instruments available in the CMSP.

The MALDI-TOF instrument will serve as a valuable tool in supporting numerous research projects. It will also be useful in training activities in biological mass spectrometry that the CMSP offers undergraduates, graduate students and postdocs.

X-ray Computed Tomography Facility Improvement

Brian Bagley, Department of Earth Sciences, College of Science and Engineering (CSE)
Co-Investigator: Donna Whitney, Department of Earth Sciences, CSE
Matching Funds: Department of Earth Sciences, CSE

Funding will be used to acquire and maintain hardware for the X-ray Computed Tomography lab located in the Department of Earth Sciences. The large datasets generated by the high-resolution micro-CT machine require hardware and software that are not readily available to most lab users. These facility upgrades will allow us to accommodate more users and reduce the current wait time to use the facility.

Equipment Upgrades for Soil Testing and Research Analytical Laboratories

Brian Barber, Department of Soil, Water and Climate (SWAC), College of Food, Agriculture and Natural Resource Sciences (CFANS)
Co-Investigator: Carl Rosen, SWAC, CFANS
Matching Funds: Minnesota Soybean Research and Promotion Council, SWAC

The Soil Testing and Research Analytical Laboratories (STRAL) will use the $180,000 award for new equipment that expands and improves its laboratory services. Right now, STRAL offers over 100 distinct analytical tests and assists over 28 departments with research needs. These additional tools will help the lab service university and cooperative research goals for the greatest number of clients possible. New test services will include forage grain nutritional analysis such as PROXIMATEs, sugars, amino acids and Fatty Acid Methyl Esters (FAMES). The lab will also improve routine measurements of carbon/nitrogen/sulfur with a simultaneous analysis and increased sensitivity.

STRAL is committed to forming new alliances and encourages the university community to explore its services. These relations will continue to position STRAL and the University of Minnesota at the forefront of collaborative and multi-disciplinary research, with the goal of being a world leader in solution-driven science in food, agriculture and natural resources.

Lithography and Thin Film Deposition Equipment for the Minnesota Nano Center

Stephen Campbell, Minnesota Nano Center, CSE
Matching Funds: CSE

The Minnesota Nano Center (MNC) provides access to equipment to make micro and nano scale devices and structures. This award provides a Karl Suss optical lithography system, crucial to almost all MNC users, to replace an outdated, frequently unusable system incapable of handling current sample sizes. The award also provides a system that deposits thin films on top of temperature-sensitive substrates such as plastics, providing better films and a wider variety of materials than the existing system, which is more than 20 years old and runs Windows 3.

These tools will help MNC, which enables $10 to $15 million of university research annually, become a premier lab for micro and nano research. The new equipment increases competitiveness in nontraditional areas like nanomedicine and supports proposals in biosensing, medical devices and deep brain or electrocorticography sensing/stimulation. Companies also use MNC equipment to develop new products, creating jobs and revenue for Minnesota.

Two 400 MHz NMR Spectrometers for Routine Chemical Analysis to Replace Four Aging NMR Spectrometers

Christopher Douglas, Department of Chemistry, CSE
Matching Funds: Department of Chemistry, CSE

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is invaluable to studying structure and dynamics of organic and inorganic matter. This award will replace four aging and/or nonfunctional NMR spectrometers and consolidate their workload onto two new instruments. The university will achieve operational excellence in terms of eliminating the instruments’ frequent repairs (along with the associated labor and replacement parts costs) and lower Minnesota’s use of non-renewable consumables like liquid helium.

Consolidating the sample load onto two modern instruments will serve the university’s research mission. Modern NMR instruments quickly acquire data that will allow university scientists to study new molecules, medicines and materials at both lower and higher temperatures than previously possible. The expanded temperature ranges will help researchers studying both fleetingly stable and particularly dynamic samples to characterize new states of matter. Modern instrumentation will keep Minnesota competitive in acquiring external research funding, as infrastructure is a review criteria for most granting agencies.

Reinvestment in capabilities of scanning electron microscopy and x-ray diffraction infrastructure at the UMD Research Instrumentation Laboratory

John Goodge, Department of Geological Sciences, University of Minnesota – Duluth (UMD)

Matching Funds: UMD Natural Resources Research Institute, UMD Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, UMD Swenson College of Science and Engineering, John Goodge, Large Lakes Observatory, UMD Department of Geological Sciences, UMD Department of Biology

Funding will upgrade two instrumentation platforms at UMD’s Research Instrumentation Laboratory (RIL): the scanning electron microscope (SEM) and the powder x-ray diffractometer (XRD). The SEM and XRD instruments, originally purchased with National Science Foundation funds and used in teaching and research for physical characterization and analysis of materials, now lack capability for new research applications.

This project upgrades the SEM to enable mineral liberation analysis, automation of image collection and processing, and improving image quality through the addition of a vibration isolation system and replacement of a degraded backscattered electron detector. It also improves the XRD system through the acquisition of advanced software allowing for quantitative modal and crystal structural analysis of data. This upgrade will be a significant step forward for the RIL, which serves as an interdisciplinary lab used by a wide variety of science and engineering programs at UMD along with outside non-profit and commercial users.

College of Design Digital Fabrication Laboratory

Kevin Groenke, Digital Fabrication Laboratory, College of Design
Co-Investigator: Brad Hokanson, College of Design
Matching Funds: College of Design

A $240,000 RIO grant to the College of Design's Digital Fabrication Lab will leverage the college’s investment in infrastructure, equipment and personnel to provide facility access and output support to the university's research community. The grant monies will be used to upgrade and increase laser cutting, 3D printing and CNC machining capabilities and to provide dedicated support personnel for intercollegiate users. Support of intercollegiate use of the Digital Fabrication Lab will be further facilitated by the establishment of an ISO, development of research specific web content and project submission portals.

Compositional microscopy for materials and biomedicine research

Greg Haugstad, Characterization Facility, CSE
Matching Funds: CSE

Key microscopic and spectroscopic methods in the Characterization Facility (CharFac) include scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and confocal Raman microscopy (CRM). The CharFac maintains four high-resolution SEMs with various special capabilities. Current systems are decades old, require frequent maintenance and have limited capabilities. This award will replace two very old pieces of equipment with a modern workhorse coater and a latest-generation ion beam coater/etcher. These additions will enable the discernment of finer nanoscale structures, improve facility throughput, allow hands-on operation by users and remove the burden of maintaining aged equipment. This award will provide a 785-nanometer semiconductor solid-state laser and a newly designed commercial coupler that enables quick and easy connection and extends chemical sensitivity. These additions and replacements of CharFac instrumentation will make the university more competitive in the quantity, diversity and cutting-edge character of its research, and thus more competitive for research grants, faculty, staff and students.

Acquisition of an EDS SDD System: Solid-State Detector (SDD) Energy-Dispersive X-Ray Spectrometer (EDS)

Marc Hirschmann, Department of Earth Sciences, CSE
Matching Funds: Department of Earth Sciences, CSE

This award will be used to acquire a state-of-the-art solid-state detector (SDD) energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS) to replace a heavily used but aging EDS system in the Department of Earth Sciences’ Electron Microprobe Lab.

The lab houses the newest and most advanced electron microprobe in Minnesota and provides high precision, non-destructive chemical characterization of solid materials at high spatial resolution, including quantitative analysis and mapping capabilities. It serves the entire university and beyond, and is crucial to the research of many internal and external academic and industrial users.

The new EDS system will increase productivity, facilitate new interdisciplinary synergies with other departments and attract new users through its ability to provide an even wider spectrum of analytical solutions, including light elements and sample types that allow characterization of biopolymers, advanced ceramics and alloys to a range of earth, physical, and bioscience and engineering research groups across the university and beyond.

Introducing Researchers at the University of Minnesota to Mass Cytometry

Dan Kaufman, Medical School
Matching Funds: Medical School, CSE, Stem Cell Institute, Center for Immunology

Funding will train and assist new UMN users of mass cytometry, which enables detailed, high-throughput analysis of single cells and represents the next generation of flow cytometry. Mass cytometry can measure more than 30 molecular targets per cell via labeling with elemental tags. This technology can identify different cell subtypes, changes in status during maturation, differentiation, cellular senescence or degradation, as well as different responses to drug treatments. This technology is highly complementary to proteomic technologies that can only measure average protein abundance and are unable to characterize the properties of specific coexisting cell subtypes and subpopulations. The mass cytometry core facility is a collaboration between the Medical School and CSE. These funds support training, reagents, software and technical support to early adopters of this technology. Already, over 40 research groups at the university show interest in mass cytometry for diverse applications.

Social and Behavioral Sciences Laboratory: Precision-Timing Optimization

Thomas Lindsay, College of Liberal Arts (CLA)
Matching Funds: CLA, Carlson School of Management

CLA Research Support Services aims to be a hub for social and behavioral sciences research at the University of Minnesota. To meet the rapidly growing demand for precision timing research methodologies, the Social and Behavioral Sciences Lab will leverage this grant to upgrade the current infrastructure and related services that allow high levels of control over presentation of human subjects research stimuli. The lab will upgrade to present and control behavioral stimuli and interactions to up to 36 simultaneous research participants in real time with 8.33 millisecond granularity.

The lab will remove significant bottlenecks to availability for researchers conducting precision timing experiments online and provide additional staff to develop, program and implement these research experiments. With this investment, the lab will increase the availability of cost-intensive technology and the expertise necessary to assist researchers, improving the environment for social and behavioral science research at the university.

Upgrade of an Ion Chromatography System in Earth Sciences

William Seyfried Jr., Department of Earth Sciences, CSE
Matching Funds: Donna Whitney, Rick Knurr, William Seyfried

The Department of Earth Sciences’ Geochemistry Lab, managed by Rick Knurr and supervised by Professor William Seyfried, will use funding to upgrade its ion chromatography system. The current system, a Dionex ICS-2000, was installed in 2004. The system is used to perform anion analyses of liquid samples provided by investigators in earth sciences; civil engineering; soil, water, and climate; veterinary sciences; the Masonic Cancer Center; the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources; and the Minnesota Geological Survey. The funds will purchase a Dionex ICS-2100, bringing the lab’s anion analytical capabilities to a state-of-the-art level. Thermo Dionex, the manufacturer of the current system, will no longer support the ICS-2000 model with replacement parts beginning in 2015, making this upgrade essential to keeping the system functioning and repairable in the future. The new instrument will greatly enhance the quality of analytical data for aqueous fluids needed for both basic and applied science research.

High-Throughput Mouse Behavioral Testing in the Neurosciences

Mark Thomas, Department of Neuroscience, Medical School
Matching Funds: Department of Neuroscience

The University of Minnesota’s Mouse Behavioral Phenotyping Core, directed by Dr. Mark J. Thomas of the Department of Neuroscience, was established three years ago with National Institutes of Health funds. The core provides high-quality, high-throughput testing for university researchers studying mouse models of neurological or psychiatric disorders and new treatments for these disorders. Demand for core services increased sharply in the past year, especially in cognitive testing (for example, in models of Alzheimer’s, HIV encephalitis, schizophrenia and autism). Research in this area is a growing interest among neuroscience graduate students.

The award funds will provide new, state-of-the-art mouse cognitive testing equipment that enables the core to maintain a high-throughput approach integral to serving the university’s research community and drawing new users from colleges across campus. In addition to benefiting current research, the grant is expected to contribute to training the next generation of biomedical researchers at the university.

Establishing Mass Cytometry at the University of Minnesota

Edgar Arriaga, College of Science and Engineering (CSE)
Co-Investigator: Dan Kaufman, Medical School
Matching Funds: CSE, CSE-Chemistry and Medical School

To acquire a mass cytometer to be housed in the Department of Chemistry’s Mass Spectrometry Laboratory. Mass cytometry is becoming widely used in biotechnology and biomedical research at leading institutions across the nation. Mass cytometry provides the ability to analyze complex sets of proteins or genes in mixtures of cells or in cells as they change status during maturation, differentiation or degradation. Because it can be done at extremely high speeds (1000 cells/sec), it provides a tool to monitor specific protein dynamics and cell populations in many tissues. Currently there are 12 installed mass cytometers in the U.S., and other institutions are in the process of acquiring similar capabilities.

Single-Cell Genomics Instrumentation

Kenneth Beckman, University of Minnesota Genomics Center (UMGC)
Co-Investigators: Jakub Tolar, Stem Cell Institute; Doug Yee, Masonic Cancer Institute; Walter Low, Neurosurgery; Dale Gregerson, Ophthalmology and Visual Neurosciences; Dan Kaufman, Stem Cell Institute; Tom Hays, College of Biological Sciences (CBS); Mike Sadowsky, Biotechnology Institute/CBS; Mike O'Connor, Genetics, Cell Biology and Development; David Bernlohr, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics
Matching Funds: UMGC

To acquire single-cell genomics instrumentation for the advancement of single-cell biology at the UMN. Until now, it has been overwhelmingly difficult to perform molecular genetic studies on single cells, due to the difficulty of extracting and processing picograms of nucleic acids from one cell without losing the material. In the past year or two, however, advances in microfluidic technology – the manufacture of microscopic fluid circuits for rapid, high-throughput manipulation of cells – have resulted in tools for doing just that. 

Dedicated University of Minnesota Research Resource at the Minnesota State Fair 

Ellen Demerath, School of Public Health (SPH)
Co-Investigators: Logan Spector, Medical School; Heather Nelson, SPH; Mindy Kurzer, College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences (CFANS)
Matching Funds: SPH, Medical School and CFANS

To dedicate a building at the Minnesota State Fair for the purpose of conducting and highlighting University of Minnesota research (including social science and opinion research). The Fair is among the largest and most popular state fairs in the United States. Several cross-sectional studies and the longitudinal pilot Gopher Kids Study have demonstrated Fairgoers’ willingness to participate in research. This facility will allow opportunities to reach outstate, agriculturally-focused residents, to engage student volunteers, and will provide faculty with opportunities for a wide range of research activities.

Institute for Children’s Mental Health and Development

Abigail Gewirtz, College of Education and Human Development (CEHD)
Co-Investigators: Dante Cicchetti, Institute of Child Development; Frank Symons, Educational Psychology; Gerald August, Psychiatry
Matching Funds: CEHD

To establish an Institute for Children’s Mental Health and Development (IMCHD). The goal of the IMCHD is to support transdisciplinary research in children’s mental health, providing links between basic research and efficacy trials, translational research, and evidence-based treatments in clinical settings across the state.

A High Resolution Mass Spectrometry System for Interdisciplinary Metabolomics Research

Tim Griffin, College of Biological Sciences (CBS)
Co-Investigators: Christine Wendt, Medical School; Larry Wackett, Biotechnology Institute/CBS; Jim Ervasti, Medical School; Gary Nelsestuen, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics (BMBB); David Bernlohr, BMBB 
Matching Funds: CBS, AHC/Medical School and Center for Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics

To acquire a Q-Exactive mass spectrometry (MS) system to be located in the Center for Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics (CMSP). This instrument offers unsurpassed mass resolution, accuracy and sensitivity for metabolomics studies in complex biological samples. It will accommodate the needs of a growing number of UMN investigators who are seeking out MS-based metabolomics studies via CMSP, in areas ranging from environmental biochemistry to clinical diagnostics.

Live Animal Ultra High-frequency Sonography Platform for Research and Discovery in Metabolism, Cancer and Cardiovascular Biomedical Sciences

Joseph Metzger, Medical School
Co-Investigators: JHarry Orr, Laboratory Medicine and Pathology; Frank Bates, Chemical Engineering/Material Science; Bob Elde, CBS 
Matching Funds: AHC/Medical School and CSE

To acquire high resolution digital imaging platforms for real-time in vivo quantitative short-term and longitudinal studies. In the past few years, there has been a revolution in technological advances directed at live animal imaging featuring non-invasive high fidelity ultrasound imaging modalities. Whereas the UMN research community has ready access to world-class optical and MRI imaging platforms, there has been a major technological deficit on campus for in vivo live animal imaging via sonograghy. High-resolution digital imaging platforms for real-time in vivo quantitative short-term and longitudinal studies represent a significant opportunity for a large and growing UMN faculty with a focus in the vital biomedical pillars of our institution including heart, vascular biology, neuroscience, metabolism and cancer research.

A Bio-repository to Support Interdisciplinary Research at the University of Minnesota

Timothy Schacker, Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) 
Co-Investigators: Alex Rothman, College of Liberal Arts (CLA); Douglas Yee, Masonic Cancer Center; Wes Miller, Medicine; Connie Delaney, Biomedical Health Informatics and School of Nursing; Selwyn Vickers, Surgery; Tim Church, SPH; Allen Levine, CFANS; Arthur Erdman, CSE; David Bernlohr, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics; Monica Luciana, Psychology; Bobbi Daniels, UMN Physicians; Carolyn Wilson, UMN Medical Center 
Matching Funds: CTSI

To establish a state-of-the-art, centralized facility for collecting, linking, processing, storing and distributing bio-specimens and associated electronic clinical data. This will be a highly standardized and automated one-stop location through the office of Clinical Translational Research Services (CTRS) in the Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI). The goal is to provide investigators across the university a centralized facility to access and assess large prospective subject populations for current and future research endeavors.

Essential Infrastructure Improvements for Food Animal Research

Montserrat Torremorell, College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM)
Co-Investigators: Gerald Shurson, CFANS; Peter Davies, Center for Animal Health and Food Safety (CAHFS)/CVM; James Collins, CVM; Hinh Ly, CVM; Maria Pieters, CVM; Scott Wells, CAHFS/CVM; Sally Noll, CFANS; Scott O'Grady, CFANS
Matching Funds: CVM, CFANS and Agricultural Experiment Station

To enhance research infrastructure on the third floor of the Animal Science/Veterinary Medicine Building (St. Paul Campus) to create a food-centric corridor with integrated cutting-edge research capability. The research also focuses on translational research and problem solving with direct impact to the university, industry and the communities where food is produced. This model of partnering laboratories and resources effectively integrates and supports intercollegiate research and has the added benefit of positioning UMN researchers in St. Paul to support industry partners in the community. This approach is central to the university’s mission to produce a safe, secure and sustainable food supply.

Advanced Pre-Clinical Imaging Laboratory X-ray System for Translational Research

Robert Wilson, Lillehei Heart Institute
Co-Investigators: Daniel Garry, Medicine; Emad Ebini, Mechanical Engineering; Robert Tranquillo, Biomedical Engineering; Afshin Divani, Neurology; Demetri Yannopoulos, Cardiology; Andrew Graves, Neurology; Richard Bianco, Experimental Surgical Services; Jafar Golzarian, Radiology; Fotis Sotiropoulos, Civil Engineering; Charles Dietz, Radiology; Matthew Johnson, Biomedical Engineering; Steven Santilli, Surgery; Arthur Erdman, Mechanical Engineering
Matching Funds: Cardiovascular Division, Medicine

To establish an advanced pre-clinical angiography facility that will serve as the core translational, large animal research laboratory for the AHC (divisions of Cardiology, Cardiovascular and Vascular Surgery, Experimental Surgery, Interventional Radiology, and Interventional Neurology), and for medical device development in Biomedical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Civil Engineering. This facility requires a sophisticated radiographic imaging unit and associated software for analysis, which is critical to testing therapeutic devices in a large animal model.

A Fast, Accurate and Automated Solution for Correlative Light and Electron Microscopy

Wei Zhang, Institute for Molecular Virology
Co-Investigators: Louis M. Mansky, Dentistry; Joachim Mueller, Physics and Astronomy
Matching Funds: Characterization Facility, CSE, School of Dentistry, Medical School, CVM, CFANS and CBS

To acquire one major piece of equipment and one sample preparation unit to be used in conjunction with the Technai TEM, which is a part of the CharFac. The equipment, iCorr, is a fully integrated, LED-based, wide-field fluorescence microscope located at the standard sample position on the TEM. The sample preparation unit, EM AFS2, is an automatic freeze substitution system, used for preparing the specimen necessary for retaining the fluorescence signal in the embedded tissue and cells.

Duluth Imaging Center

Bjoern Bauer, College of Pharmacy
Co-Investigators (UMD): Anika Hartz, Pharmacy; Matthew Andrews, CSE; Clay Carter, CSE; Venkatram Mereddy, CSE; Xun Yu, CSE; Lester Drewes, Medical School

A Duluth Imaging Center (DIC) with state-of-the-art imaging equipment for examining living systems from the molecule to the whole organism with financial support for acquisition of a confocal laser scanning microscope, a whole-animal in vivo imager, and 0.5 FTE staff position for technical support services.
 

A System for Making Photomasks at the Nanofabrication Facility

Stephen Campbell, College of Science and Engineering
Co-Investigators (from CSE): Paul Crowell, Physics; Tianhong Cui, Mechanical Engineering; Mo Li, Electrical and Computer Engineering

The Nanofabrication Center will acquire a new mask writer for making optical photomasks which will be used by almost all of our 250 research users. In addition to improved service, the proposed tool will allow the fabrication of much more complex masks, smaller features, direct optical writing on the wafer (i.e. maskless lithography), 3D optical lithography, much smoother complex features for optical and magnetics applications, and dual sided lithography.
 

The Advanced Optical Imaging Initiative at the UMN

Tim Ebner, Medical School
Co- Investigators (from CFANS, CSE, & CBS): Paul Lefebvre, Plant Biology; Joseph Metzger, Integrative Biology and Physiology; Joachim Mueller, Physics and Astronomy Michael O'Connor, Genetics, Cell Biology & Development; Yoji Shimizu, Lab Medicine and Pathology

Advanced equipment and improved staffing for the University Imaging Centers (UIC), the core optical imaging facilities used by faculty and their research teams across the University. Major equipment to be acquired includes multiphoton imaging, multi-modal whole animal imaging, super resolution imaging, and an upgrade of conventional imaging. In addition to equipment, funds will support more stability in technical staff services.
 

New Infrastructure for Campus-wide Access to 3T Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) 

Stephen Engel, College of Liberal Arts
Co- Investigators (from CSE, Medical School, CEHD): Bin He, Biomedical Engineering; Kelvin Lim, Psychiatry; Cheryl Olman, Psychology and Radiology; John Sullivan, Political Science; Kathleen Thomas, Institute for Child Development

Enhanced imaging capacity with the acquisition of a 3 Tesla MRI scanner to be added to the existing Center for Magnetic Resonance facility, requiring space upgrades and modifications as well as specialized personnel to optimize access and enhance subject recruitment and qualitative analysis for the social sciences.
 

The Kilburn Collaboratory (Working Title)

Carl Flink, College of Liberal Arts
Co-Investigators (from CLA): Ann Waltner, Institute for Advanced Study; Matt LeFebvre, Theatre Arts & Dance; Martin Gwinup, Theatre Arts & Dance; Marcus Dillard, Theatre Arts & Dance

The Kilburn "Collaboratory" project will radically redesign the Rarig Center's Terry Kilburn Arena Theater. Located on the west bank of the University's Minneapolis campus, the Rarig is home to the Theater Arts program. The project's goal is to create a highly flexible, state of the art multi-media facility that supports leading edge creative research in design/tech and performing arts practice, as well as, providing a unique and flexible space for mixed media scholarly presentations and artistic productions from across the West Bank Arts Quarter and the larger University community.
 

Improving Experimental Imaging Capabilities from the Micro Scale to the Landscape Scale

Karen Gran, UMD
Co- Investigators (from UMD): Alison Hoxie, Mechanical and Industrial Engineering; Nate Johnson, Civil Engineering; Eric Musselman, Civil Engineering; John Swenson, Geological Sciences; George Host, NRRI; Brian Brashaw, NRRI

Acquisition of scientific instrumentation for the UMD Civil Engineering flume and UMD Geological Sciences source-to-sink basin facilities that is flexible and multi-purpose including a particle image velocimeter (PIV) with GSV add-on, high-speed camera, terrestrial laser scanner, and a flume cart with sheet scanner. This will significantly expand imaging capacity from micro to landscape scale.
 

U-Spatial: Spatial Sciences and Systems Infrastructure

Francis Harvey, College of Liberal Arts
Co-Investigators (from CFANS, CSE, IonE, CLA): Marvin Bauer, Forest Resources; Jonathan Foley, Ecology, Evolution and Behavior; Steven Manson, Geography; Steven Ruggles, MN Population Center and History; Shashi Shekhar, Computer Science and Engineering

U-Spatial coordinates equipment and services for the University research community working with spatial information, the key to spatiotemporal studies of people, places, and process. U-Spatial brings together existing resources and services and strengthens research activities in four infrastructure cores: technical assistance, training, and resource coordination; analysis of aerial and satellite imagery of the earth; data archiving and development of shared computing; and spatiotemporal modeling, geodesign, and mapping.

More Information:  U-Spatial: Spatial Sciences and Systems Infrastructure
 

UMD 3D Motion Capture/Video Studio

Morris Levy, UMD
Co-Investigators (from UMD): Joellyn Rock, Art and Design; Thomas Isbell, Theatre; Robert Feyen, Mechanical and Industrial Engineering; Peter Willemsen, Computer Science

An interdisciplinary research laboratory, equipped with 3D motion capture and high definition video production capabilities which will be incorporated into the existing UMD Viz Lab space. Equipped with a multiple camera shooting space, cyclorama and backdrops, studio lighting and sound booth, this high definition video production studio will foster faculty collaboration and research in biomechanics, ergonomics, animation, performing arts and computer generated virtual environments research.
 

Sub-0.1nm Electron Microscopy for the UMN

K. Andre Mkhoyan, College of Science and Engineering
Co-Investigators (from CSE): Uwe Kortshagen, Mechanical Engineering; Allen Goldman, Physics; Steve Campbell, Electrical and Computer Engineering; R. Lee Penn, Chemistry; Chris Leighton, Chemical Engineering & Materials Science

The acquisition of a new generation, state-of-the-art, aberration-corrected, high-resolution analytical scanning and transmission electron microscope (HR-(S)TEM) to fill a critical need for a cutting-edge instrument to push the limits of our understanding of the fundamentals of nano-scale materials via atomic, and even sub-atomic level imaging and spectroscopy.

More Information: Characterization Facility
 

Multi-Sensory Perception Research Facility

Andrew Oxenham, College of Liberal Arts
Co-Investigators (from CEHD, CSE ): Yuhong Jiang, Psychology; Juergen Konczak, Kinesiology; Hubert Lim, Biomedical Engineering; Peggy Nelson, Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences; Stergios Roumeliotis, Computer Science and Engineering

A new Multi-Sensory Perception (MSP) research facility to allow researchers to present visual, auditory and haptic stimuli to human subjects in an acoustically and electrically shielded environment, and to measure responses via behavioral (body and eye movement tracking), physiological (heart rate, skin conductance, ECG), and neural responses (EEG techniques).This facility extends the uni-modal capabilities of individual investigators to permit multi-modal experiments, support existing collaborations, and lead to new initiatives.
 

Acquisition of a Multi-source X-ray Computed Tomography System

Donna Whitney, College of Science and Engineering
Co-Investigators (from CSE): Martin Saar, Geology and Geophysics; Kieran McNulty, Anthropology; John Bischof, Mechanical Engineering; Brandy Toner, Soil, Water & Climate; Emi Ito, Geology and Geophysics

Acquisition of an X-Ray Computed Tomography (XRCT) facility to image samples ranging in size from meters to micrometers at resolutions varying from the micrometer to sub-micrometer (500 nm) scale will provide capacity to image large samples of natural and engineered materials at both the U and neighboring institutions. XRCT is a non-destructive, high-resolution method for obtaining 3D images of the surfaces and interiors of solids and fluids and is capable of resolution ~1000x better than standard tomographic medical devices, and provides faster and more accurate 3D data reconstruction.