MRI: Equipment: Acquisition of a qPCR instrument to enrich undergraduate research and education across biological disciplines

An award is made to Randolph-Macon College to acquire a Biorad CFX Opus quantitative PCR (qPCR) instrument to engage approximately 20 undergraduate students per year in focused, one-on-one research mentorships with accomplished scientists, leading to conference presentations and co-authored publications. The qPCR instrument will be incorporated into four inquiry-driven laboratory modules in Genetics, Microbiology, and Conservation Genetics, enriching the academic experience of an additional 120 undergraduate students annually. This acquisition will broadly benefit STEM majors, composed of 49% women and 27% minorities, and will be used in a peer-mentoring pipeline promoting Hispanic high school students' engagement in STEM through the Pathways to Science program. Additionally, the qPCR instrument will support research across diverse fields such as ecology, neuroscience, immunology, and microbiology. The CFX Opus qPCR instrument enables five accomplished faculty members to advance understanding across a range of biological disciplines. Specific projects utilizing this instrument will address several compelling questions: How do fish migration patterns change after dam removal? What is the mechanism and functional impact of malnutrition-induced naïve T cell migration to the bone marrow? How does the inhibition of histone-modifying enzymes impact brain function in mice? How does a pathway devoted to protein quality control in the endoplasmic reticulum evolve and function in amoebas? What non-native and threatened fish species inhabit the streams of central Kenya? Collectively, our team of investigators has mentored over 95 undergraduate students in high-caliber research projects, with a cohort comprising approximately 70% women and 25% STEM minorities, reflecting our commitment to diversity and inclusion. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.