Year: 2023
Type: article
Abstract: Various studies have suggested that the United States will face a considerable shortage of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) professionals in the coming decades [1]. To strengthen the training of STEM professionals, the adoption of evidence-based practices and the wide implementation of pedagogical practices that use discovery-based research has been proposed [1]. At the same time, an acute lack of diversity in the U.S. STEM workforce has persisted [2]. The myriad of barriers to diversity in STEM carriers span the continuum of steps from academic preparation to professional development [2]. Still, minority serving institutions (MSIs) are serving as the main drivers of diversity in STEM [3]. The successes are attributed to holistic strategies that take into consideration academic preparedness, financial abilities, and social and cultural integration [3]. Student success and career development are also dependent institutional resources including advanced research facilities. Microscopy technologies permeate many academic and professional fields ranging from biological and medical fields to the physical sciences and engineering professions. Integrating fluorescence and electron microscopy with discipline specific examples and projects microscopy have helped prepare undergraduate students for graduate school studies [4]. Still, funding as well and research faculty are needed to support education with highly specialized microscopes [4]. Some microscopy facilities have developed open access online training resources that include simulations that help minimize the need for hands-on training [5]. Given the inordinate role-played Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) in training URMs, it is of great interest to understand the capabilities of MSIs in advanced microscopy. A study on research resources at MSIs that are also recipients of Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI) grants from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) highlighted the essential nature of core facilities in accelerating research output [6]. Among these institutions, two have super-resolution microscopes, confocal/fluorescence microscopy is very common at the institutions while electron microscopy is rarely offered by the core facilities (Fig. 1). Limited funds for equipment maintenance, difficulty in hiring qualified personnel, and gaps in technology offerings are some of the key challenges faced by institutions in the early stages of core facility development. As an example, one of the institutions has installed a JEM-1400 transmission electron microscope with an AZTEC energy standard EDS to support physical and biological sciences research. The accessories include a PIPS II precision ion polishing system as well as a LEICA EM UC7 basic/fixed microscope for the sectioning of fixed samples. In addition to faculty, an expert was hired on a part-time basis to support the instrument. The EM has supporting materials science research that has led to publications with undergraduate co-authors. It is also supporting cancer cells exosome experiments, among others [7]. Microscopy capabilities at selected MSIs. Availability of microscopy resources is very varied with SRM and EM being the least supported technologies. Super-resolution microscopy (SRM); Light, confocal and fluorescence microscopy (LCM/FM); transmission electron microscopy (TEM); scanning electron microscopy (SEM); focused ion beam-SEM (FIB-SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX).
Source: Microscopy and Microanalysis
Author: James Wachira
Institution: Morgan State University
Language: English
Subfield: Information Systems and Management
Field: Decision Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,255
OpenAlex ID: W4385072903