Widefield Array Research Articles

An introduction to the NASA Hyperspectral InfraRed Imager (HyspIRI) mission and preparatory activities

In 2007, the NASA Hyperspectral InfraRed Imager (HyspIRI) mission was recommended in Earth Science and Applications from Space: National Imperatives for the Next Decade and Beyond (Decadal Survey) to address critical science questions in multiple areas, in particular ecosystems and natural hazards. HyspIRI is comprised of two instruments, a visible to short-wavelength infrared (VSWIR) imaging spectrometer and a thermal infrared (TIR) multispectral imager, together with an Intelligent Payload Module (IPM) for onboard processing and rapid downlink of selected data. The VSWIR instrument will have 10nm contiguous bands and cover the 380–2500nm spectral range with 30m spatial resolution and a revisit of 16days. The TIR instrument will have 8 discrete bands in the 4–13μm range with 60m spatial resolution and a revisit of 5days. With these two instruments in low Earth orbit, HyspIRI will be able to address key science and applications questions in a wide array of fields, ranging from ecosystem function and diversity to human health and urbanization.

Embodied Narratives: Connecting Stories, Bodies, Cultures and Ecologies eds. by Laura Formenti, Linden West, Marianne Horsdal (review)

Reviewed by: Embodied Narratives: Connecting Stories, Bodies, Cultures and Ecologies eds. by Laura Formenti, Linden West, Marianne Horsdal Amir Marvasti (bio) Laura Formenti, Linden West, and Marianne Horsdal, eds. Embodied Narratives: Connecting Stories, Bodies, Cultures and Ecologies. Odense: UP of Southern Denmark, 2014. 308pp. ISBN 978-8776747473, $43.00. Increasingly, the narrative form is viewed as a natural and universal medium for apprehending and representing human experiences. Much remains to be discovered, however, about how the content and structure of narratives are mediated by culture and social structures (e.g., race, gender, and social class). As an attempt at offering an analytic framework for locating narratives within a broader social context (i.e., time, history, and place), Embodied Narratives is a welcome addition to the growing body of literature on narrative analysis. The book is composed of fourteen chapters divided into two parts (though the parts are not clearly marked in the table of contents but described only in the introductory chapter). The main objectives of the book are described in Chapter 1. The overarching goal is to understand how learning is narratively linked with social contexts and the body. Specifically, the editors describe the book as: [End Page 438] a contribution to forging greater connectedness in understanding learners and learning. . . . At the heart of the writing lies a fundamental aspiration: to better understand and theorise how the body and relationships, both to immediate and wider worlds, find expression in learning biographies, and how such experiences can be enhanced. (24) Overall, the editors emphasize that the collection is an interdisciplinary endeavor that consciously avoids self-serving rivalries. In their words, the book works against “typical academic competitiveness, a kind of symbolic cannibalism” (25). Moving beyond the introductory chapter, Part I (Chapters 2–5) primarily focuses on broader theoretical issues about the relationship between the body and identity, as well as their immediate and larger sociohistorical context. In essence, Part I theorizes the connection between self (the agent) and society (the larger social structures surrounding the self). The chapters in this section cover a wide range of concepts, some better explained than others. Specifically, Chapter 2, Marianne Horsdal’s “The Body and the Environment in Autobiographical Narratives and Autobiographical Narrative Research,” is entirely devoted to establishing one of the book’s major themes: “our stories are embodied” (47). However, a careful reading of the book would suggest that the reverse is equality true: our bodies are storied. This chapter puts forth evidence from a wide array of fields (from neuroscience to the phenomenology of social interaction) to establish the interconnectedness of the body and the social. Chapter 3, by Linden West, uses several concepts borrowed from Bourdieu and other notable social theorists to describe the reflexive connection between agency and social structure. Taking a more semantic, or at least language-centered, approach to analyzing narratives, Chapter 4 focuses on words and their socially constructed meanings. As the chapter’s author, Rob Evans, explains it, “Language shapes and determines the interaction out of which the life history is narrated. The telling shapes in turn the language use” (84). Evans emphasizes the reflexive relationship between agency and social structure evinced in earlier chapters. Continuing with the same theme, Chapter 5 considers historical variations in the construction of agency. Specifically, the chapter’s author, Peter Alheit, traces the history of the subject (or agency) from the pre-modern to the post-modern era, covering a period of time roughly from 1200 to 1980. To a large extent, Part II (Chapters 6–14) illustrates earlier discussions using data primarily from the experiences of adult students in higher education. This portion of the book includes some of the more analytically coherent and empirically grounded chapters. Chapter 6 traces the meaning and origins of stories of one’s birth across three levels of analysis: the micro (the individual [End Page 439] here and now), the meso (the institutional context), and the macro (cultural and discursive context). Though more could have been said about the connections between the three levels of analysis, Laura Formenti offers a brilliant analysis of autobiographical narratives in this chapter. Chapter 7, by Juan Carlos Pita Castra, analyzes artists’ identities with a focus on...

Mechanisms of nanosilver-induced toxicological effects: more attention should be paid to its sublethal effects.

Due to its unique physicochemical properties and remarkable antimicrobial activity, nanosilver (nAg) is increasingly being used in a wide array of fields, including medicine and personal care products. Despite substantial progress being made towards the understanding of the acute toxicity of nAg, large knowledge gaps still exist on the assessment of its chronic toxicity to humans. Chronic effects of nAg, typically at low doses (i.e. sublethal doses) should be different from the acute toxicity at high doses (i.e., lethal doses), which is analogous to other environmental pollutants. Although a few review papers have elaborated the findings on nAg-mediated toxicity, most of them only discussed overt toxicity of nAg at high-level exposure and failed to evaluate the chronic and cumulative effects of nAg at sublethal doses. Therefore, it is necessary to more stringently scrutinize the sublethal toxicity of nAg under environmentally relevant conditions. Herein, we recapitulated recent findings on the sublethal effects of nAg toxicity performed by our groups and others. We then discussed the molecular mechanisms by which nAg exerts its toxicity under low concentrations and compared that with nAg-induced cell death.

Cutting up the sensible. Rancièrian politics in a posthumanist perspective

Ethics and politics in a new materialist framework are key issues in current debates and spark research in a wide array of fields from matters of sex and gender to ecology and art theory. However, a definition of politics, and how it relates to democracy, is often left out of these discussions. This article addresses that issue through the theory of radical democracy and politics as rupture from Jacques Ranciere’s writings and draws a comparison with Karen Barad’s notions of indeterminacy and onto-epistemology. Whereas Ranciere takes as his starting point the definition of democracy as equality, Barad interrogates the world in its onto-epistemological condition. By developing points of intersection between these two theoretical approaches, the problem of politics in new materialism is discussed and some initial steps to take Ranciere’s work into the field of ontology and epistemology are sketched out. The focus is on the relationship between the Baradian “cut” and Ranciere’s “distribution of the sensible” and on how both illuminate possibilities of emergence rather than accessibility. The article concludes by addressing politics as possibilities for change.

Plant-Mediated Green Synthesis of Iron Nanoparticles

In the recent years, nanotechnology has emerged as a state-of-the-art and cutting edge technology with multifarious applications in a wide array of fields. It is a very broad area comprising of nanomaterials, nanotools, and nanodevices. Amongst nanomaterials, majority of the research has mainly focused on nanoparticles as they can be easily prepared and manipulated. Physical and chemical methods are conventionally used for the synthesis of nanoparticles; however, due to several limitations of these methods, research focus has recently shifted towards the development of clean and eco-friendly synthesis protocols. Magnetic nanoparticles constitute an important class of inorganic nanoparticles, which find applications in different areas by virtue of their several unique properties. Nevertheless, in comparison with biological synthesis protocols for noble metal nanoparticles, limited study has been carried out with respect to biological synthesis of magnetic nanoparticles. This review focuses on various studies outlining the novel routes for biosynthesis of these nanoparticles by plant resources along with outlining the future scope of work in this area.

Risk governance and emerging technologies: learning from case study integration

Emerging technologies are underway in a wide array of industrial applications and need fields. When innovating on technologies, one main objective is to improve the management of safety related to their emerging risks. The iNTeg-Risk project undertook 17 case studies covering current key innovations and focusing on their corresponding risks. Thus, a major challenge is to integrate the case study research into a common framework on adequate future risk and safety concepts which might serve policy and stakeholder decision-makers as a background for risk-related decisions in the future. Within this paper, we looked on similarities and disparities on how these case studies assess, manage, and communicate risk issues. A telephone survey with case study task leaders has been carried out in order to identifying the state-of-the-art of how the case studies deal with risk governance issues.

Uncovering the role of 5-hydroxymethylcytosine in the epigenome

Just over 2 years ago, TET1 was found to catalyse the oxidation of 5-methylcytosine, a well-known epigenetic mark, into 5-hydroxymethylcytosine in mammalian DNA. The exciting prospect of a novel epigenetic modification that may dynamically regulate DNA methylation has led to the rapid accumulation of publications from a wide array of fields, from biochemistry to stem cell biology. Although we have only started to scratch the surface, interesting clues on the role of 5-hydroxymethylcytosine are quickly emerging.

Introduction and Tabula Gratulatoria

Introduction and Tabula Gratulatoria Lori Ann Garner (bio) and R. Scott Garner (bio) Tamo bez njeg’ hoda ne imade. Our journey there is impossible without him. adapted from The Wedding of Mustajbey’s Son Bećirbey (Foley 2004:line 412) For John Miles Foley, oral tradition has always been about the journey—for scholars and teachers as well as for verbal artists and their audiences—and as he himself puts it in Immanent Art, “long journeys are also the most pleasant and the most rewarding” (1991:ix). The important role of such travel is perhaps referred to most explicitly in his recent work, The Pathways Project, which through its very title explores the “thought technologies” of oral tradition and electronic communication as complex navigation systems with infinitely variable routes; however, the metaphor of a journey to conceptualize scholarly work and even the verbal arts we study—never static, always in motion—has characterized his work for decades. Scholarship itself a journey, Milman Parry’s and Albert Lord’s influential work was described as “pathbreaking” (Foley 1995:xiv), and John Foley’s earliest goals for extending this path were cast in terms of a road for travel: “I hope to have succeeded in telling the tale pravo (straightforwardly) and not krivo (crookedly, falsely), as the South Slavic guslari would say” (1988:xiv). Later, as part of his unceasing effort to pave the way for oral traditions to be studied more readily in the classroom, he envisioned his edited Teaching Oral Traditions volume as “an avenue into the study of oral traditions” (1998b:1). And, of course, even the storytellers themselves can be understood in terms of their narrative voyage, such as is the case for the ancient Greek bard who “navigates through the maze of traditional story” (1998a:20). In honor of John’s 65th birthday and his recent retirement (though a retirement largely in name only), the current surprise special issue of Oral Tradition celebrates and continues this journey among the world’s widely diverse oral traditions through a series of essays contributed entirely by his former and current students. Collectively, the essays that follow explore ancient Greek, Old English, Middle English, Latin, South Slavic, Old Irish, modern Irish, Old Norse, and Hungarian traditions as well as issues related to Biblical Studies, modern media, rhetoric, folk speech, occupational humor, pedagogy, ethnopoetics, and eighteenth-century British literature. Seldom do the students of any given scholar work in such a wide array of fields, and one might well wonder how a single mentor could inspire and influence research across such a diverse range of subjects. But as a starting point for understanding this phenomenon, it seems best to begin by turning toward a pair of traditions held most dear by John himself. First, we have the South Slavic proverb that appears above as an epigraph to this introduction. Taken from The Wedding of Mustajbey’s Son Bećirbey, a traditional Moslem oral epic performed by Halil Bajgorić in 1935 and then translated by Foley as part of his award-winning edition in 2004, this proverb is spoken by the character Mustajbey and works to anticipate the essential role that Tale of Orašac will play in the requisite military campaign leading up to the wedding of Bećirbey to Zlata.1 As a “larger-than-life trickster figure” (Foley 2004:40), Tale is revered as a hero despite—and, to a certain extent, because of—his unconventional and unpredictable ways of presenting himself and handling challenging situations. Whereas his horsemen wear sterling silver and gold, Tale himself spurns impractical grandiosity, dressing in goatskin trousers and employing as his weapon of choice a simple “nail-studded walking stick” (line 693). The horses of more conventional warriors may carry grand and stately weaponry themselves, but Tale’s dun-colored horse is more accustomed to carrying flour-meal on his back. And as the perfect witness to Tale’s defiance of any easy stereotype, his standard-bearer aptly rides backward and carries an upside-down standard. Yet in spite of Tale’s seemingly counter-heroic behavior and demeanor, he is still recognized upon his arrival as a hero (junak, line 457). Indeed it is...

Development of a surgical approach for a wide-view suprachoroidal retinal prosthesis: evaluation of implantation trauma

Our research goal is to develop a safe, reproducible surgical approach for implantation of a wide-field retinal stimulating array. The aim of this study was to evaluate the pathological response to acute implantation of a functional prototype electrode array in the suprachoroidal space. The surgical techniques to implant a 72 platinum electrode array fabricated on 8 × 13 × 0.4mm polyimide and silicone substrate were developed in a pilot study in anesthetized cats. For the main study, nine eyes were implanted in vivo and unoperated eyes were used as controls. Surgery consisted of a temporal approach with a full-thickness scleral incision 5mm posterior to the limbus. A suprachoroidal "pocket" was created, the electrode array inserted to sit beneath the area centralis, and placement was confirmed visually. The eyes were collected subsequently for histopathology. The array was consistently inserted into the suprachoroidal space beneath the area centralis in nine eyes. There was a significant hemorrhage in two cases where implantation was complicated by choroidal congestion. Retinal folding occurred only when the array tip was within 2.6mm of the optic disc (p < 0.01). There was choroidal incarceration at the incision in six eyes and scleral distortion at the array edges in five. No cases were found where the implant breached the retina, choroid, or sclera. A large stimulation array can be reliably inserted into the suprachoroidal space without trauma to the neuroretina. These findings suggest that this is an appropriate surgical approach for the placement of an electrode array for use in retinal stimulation.

DETECTION RATES FOR SURVEYS FOR FAST TRANSIENTS WITH NEXT GENERATION RADIO ARRAYS

We relate the underlying properties of a population of fast radio-emitting transient events to its expected detection rate in a survey of finite sensitivity. The distribution of the distances of the detected events is determined in terms of the population luminosity distribution and survey parameters, for both extragalactic and Galactic populations. The detection rate as a function of Galactic position is examined to identify regions that optimize survey efficiency in a survey whose field of view is limited. The impact of temporal smearing caused by scattering in the interstellar medium has a large and direction-dependent bearing on the detection of impulsive signals, and we present a model for the effects of scattering on the detection rate. We show that the detection rate scales as ΩS−3/2 + δ0, where Ω is the field of view, S0 is the minimum detectable flux density, and 0 < δ ⩽ 3/2 for a survey of Galactic transients in which interstellar scattering or the finite volume of the Galaxy is important. We derive formal conditions on the optimal survey strategy to adopt under different circumstances for fast transient surveys on next generation large-element, wide-field arrays, such as ASKAP, LOFAR, the MWA, and the SKA, and show how interstellar scattering and the finite spatial extent of a Galactic population modify the choice of optimal strategy.

Effect of etching conditions on pore shape in etched ion-track polycarbonate membranes

We have undertaken a systematic investigation of the influence of methanol and applied transmembrane potential on the shape of conical pores produced by the track-etch technique. Heavy ion tracks in polycarbonate foils were chemically etched in an electrolytical cell under various conditions (different methanol content in the etchant, and applied potentials). It is found that the cone angle of the conical nanopore is dependent on the amount of methanol present in an alkaline etching solution as well as on the applied transmembrane potential. A combination of both these techniques is proposed to obtain conical nanopore with more exaggerated base opening. Controlling these conditions provide a route to fabricate controlled shape pores in polycarbonate membranes that have potential applications in a wide array of fields.

Review of Handbook of homework assignments in psychotherapy: Research, practice, and prevention.

Handbook of Homework Assignments in Psychotherapy: Research, Practice, and Prevention, by Nikolaos Kazantzis and Luciano L'Abate (Editors). Springer, 2007, 464 pages (ISBN: 978-0-387-29680-7, US $79.95, Hardcover) Reviewed by PETER BIELING DOI : 10.1037/0708-5591.49.2.172 Reading this book title quickly one might think that this is a book of practical ideas, worksheets, and resources for clinicians. Reading it again more carefully, one discerns that it is more than that. What the editors have planned for the reader is a complete discussion of how therapy and personal change is supported by between-session activities in which the client engages. Once that is clear and one has truly unpacked this title, it is also self-evident that such a book would need to be edited, drawing together experts in a wide array of fields and with different perspectives. The book operationally defines homework in various kinds of therapy, the role that it plays in the change process, and presents research related to those important between-session tasks. Given this breadth, it is not surprising that the book is aimed at practitioners and researchers with all ranges of experience. The book is organised into four parts to help the reader with this diverse material. Part 1 reviews the concept and implementation of across nine well-known modalities (behavioural, client-centered, cognitive, emotion-focussed, interpersonal, psychodynamic, acceptance and commitment, brief strategic family, and personal construct therapies). The chapters in this section are highly useful on their own-it's easy to imagine assigning particular chapters to graduate students taking a course in one type of therapy for example. However, this material is even more fascinating when the various chapters are contrasted with one another. It might be expected that chapters from the behaviour therapy and cognitive therapy perspective are carefully structured, laying out evidence, a rationale, and design principles for homework, grappling directly with noncompliance and providing case examples. This turns out to be the case; the description of from these perspectives mirrors the overall theory of treatment and change; directive, problem focussed, action oriented, and learning based. Chapters from other perspectives differ considerably from this in form and function, but also echo in myriad ways the theories in which they are grounded. For example, in one perspective is only indicated when requested by the client but is otherwise not consistent with the theory of change, in another approach the term itself is questioned, and more empowering terms are substituted, in another is considered on a case-by-case basis, and imbued with powerful symbolic meaning. Thus these chapters about are a window to the soul of each of the therapies and make for a wonderful comparative analysis of what different approaches to treatment value and see as the critical ingredients of change. Certainly this book offers a unique opportunity for each of these forms of therapy to ponder and then lay out what role plays, whether it is a must or optional, whether it is written or experienced, and a host of other pragmatic questions. This is a really unique contribution. Parts 2 and 3 of the book focus more on specific populations and disorders, including older adults, couples, and families. The described for these special populations is largely from a cognitive-behavioural perspective, and there is extensive and pragmatic advice about tailoring generic strategies that clinicians will find useful. The section on specific disorders will of course be most helpful in which a disorder overlaps with a reader's interest and such sections always will generate some debate about what is included and what is not. The difficulties covered here are Borderline Personality Disorder, Chronic Depression, Chronic Pain, Eating Disorders, Low Self-Esteem, Obsessions and Compulsions, Psychosis, Sexual Dysfunction, Substance Abuse, and Traumatic Brain Injury. …

Knockdown of the Dnmt1s transcript using small interfering RNA in primary murine and bovine fibroblast cells

RNA interference (RNAi) has rapidly developed into one of the most widely applied technologies in molecular and cellular research, and although young, is now an essential experimental tool. The versatility of RNAi, especially in mammalian species, lends to its potential applications in a wide array of fields. Without having to genetically manipulate the genome, the ability to selectively reduce the level of a specific transcript using small interfering RNA (siRNA) molecules has great appeal in studying reprogramming issues in somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) embryos. In such embryos, the aberrant expression of the somatic isoform of Dnmt1 (Dnmt1s), the enzyme responsible for maintaining DNA methylation in all somatic cells, has been implicated as one factor in the improper reprogramming of the donor genome. In the present study, the ability to develop a method allowing for the knockdown, or reduction, of Dnmt1s in primary fibroblast cells, like those commonly used as karyoplast donors in SCNT studies, was investigated in primary murine and bovine fibroblast cells as well as in a compromised cell line (NIH/3T3). Two Dnmt1s-specific siRNA candidates were designed and tested. Using optimized conditions, these siRNAs were transiently transfected into the cells with total RNA and nuclear protein being collected. A 56.5% knockdown in Dnmt1s was achieved in the compromised and primary murine cells whereas Dnmt1s was reduced by 15.4% in the primary bovine cells. A reduction in Dnmt1s mRNA did not correspond to a reduction in protein as determined by immunodetection of Western blots. Overall, this study demonstrated the ability of siRNA to knockdown Dnmt1s mRNA in primary fibroblast donor cells. In order to substantially increase the efficiency while decreasing the anomalies seen in SCNT, novel techniques, like the one proposed, are needed to assist the oocyte's ability to reprogram a differentiated genome.

Getting through graduate school

‘In my experience, the two main things that make graduate school hard are the unstructured nature of the process, and the lack of information about what you should spend your time on,’ writes Marie desJardins in the pragmatic How to Succeed in Graduate School: A Guide for Students and Advisors. She’s right. Graduate students, for the most part, don’t get enough good advice, about how to succeed as a scientist. Now grad students can use the Web to get the information they need to launch their careers. Table 1Table 1URL table for Spider’s webHow to Succeed in Graduate Schoolhttp://info.acm.org/crossroads/xrds1-2/advice1.htmlPhDs.orghttp://www.phds.orgScott Keoghhttp://online.anu.edu.au/BoZo/Scott.Studentresources.htmlUniversity of Western Ontariohttp:///www.physiology.uwo.ca/SurvivalWebV3/frame.htmOn being a Scientisthttp://books.nap.edu/html/obasReshaping the Graduate Education of Scientistshttp://www.nap.edu/readingroom/books/grad/Graduate Education Reformhttp://www.nsf.gov/sbe/srs/nsf00318/start.htmTrends in the Early Careers of Life Scientisthttp://books.nap.edu/catalog/6244.htmlGrants Nethttp://www.grantsnet.orgScience’s Next Wavehttp://nextwave.sciencemag.org Open table in a new tab If you have only one bookmark to spare on a graduate student resource, place it at PhDs.org, a well-organized site with information for grad students and postdocs in a wide array of fields. Each page of PhDs.org contains a list of annotated links covering a specific topic, such as teaching or career information. Readers can filter the links to see only those that relate to a specific field (e.g., chemistry or the life sciences) or try the Search function at the top of the home page. Some researchers have developed online versions of the advice they give to local graduate students. Scott Keogh has put together a collection of practical information at Resources and Advice for Students, including tips on giving a talk and writing a thesis or a grant. This Australian National University researcher has also included information of specific interest to Australian graduate students. Tutis Vilis of the University of Western Ontario developed Survival Skills for Graduate Students, a how-to manual for giving oral presentations, writing a manuscript, and getting the most out of scientific meetings. Before your next slide or poster presentation, you should look at his design tips. Among the National Academies’ many publications are three resources particularly suited for graduate students. On Being a Scientist: Responsible Conduct in Research guides scientists, young and old, through the ethical dilemmas they may face. Reshaping the Graduate Education of Scientists and Engineers covers trends in graduate education and the career prospects of PhDs in the United States. This 1995 report served as a wake-up call of sorts to graduate programs. It also discusses whether or not there’s an overabundance of PhDs. Graduate students outside of the U.S. may be interested in Graduate Education Reform in Europe, Asia, and the Americas and International Mobility of Scientists and Engineers, the proceedings from a 1998 National Science Foundation workshop which is packed full of data comparing graduate programs and trends in different nations. More trends are sketched out in a third National Academies’ report, Trends in the Early Careers of Life Scientists. Although the ‘Open Book’ format of this 1998 report is a little more difficult to navigate through than an HTML document, the information it contains is worthwhile: in 1995, only 34% of life science PhDs in the U.S. with nine to ten years of post-graduate experience were in tenure-track faculty positions. If that makes you wonder where your next paycheck might come from, take a look at GrantsNet, a joint venture of AAAS and HHMI. This site provides funding news and a database of funding opportunities for predoctoral through junior faculty scientists. Though most of the grants are U.S.-based, a search option allows visitors to look for those without U.S. citizenship requirements. Science’s Next Wave delivers career advice for the young scientist on either side of the Atlantic and beyond. This weekly publication has regular features on working in both academics and industry, alternative careers, science policy, and graduate education. Although you’ll need a subscription (US$19.95/year) to view all the information on Next Wave, quite a few institutions and some societies have subscribed, and some countries have set up free access for their scientists. Perhaps in response to the growing geographical diversity of its subscribers, Next Wave now publishes United Kingdom, Canadian, and German editions along with the United States version. Whether you’re working away at a lab bench in Toronto or Tübingen, it takes time, brains, and a lot of work to get a Ph.D. You need all the advice you can get. Use these sites to make your life a bit easier and your time in the lab more productive.

An audio- and speech-based interface for computer-controlled scientific instruments

Laboratory instruments are intrinsic to research and work in a wide array of scientific fields. They are used for the control of devices, data storage, and data analysis. The control of instruments is increasingly changing from independent on-instrument controls to multiple instrument integrate software control. Unfortunately, the graphical representation of controls and data makes it difficult for an individual with a visual impairment to independently operate laboratory instruments. Alternative interfaces have been previously developed for these individuals but have often proved limited in scope and accuracy, or otherwise expensive. The resulting inaccessibility to affordable and accurate scientific instrumentation, unfortunately, discourages many individuals with a visual impairment from entering scientific fields of research or work. This paper introduces an alternative interface method developed for LabVIEW, National Instruments' instrumentation software package. The method is specifically designed for individuals with visual impairments, and uses alternative navigation techniques as well as audio feedback. The developed user interface uses simple keyboard inputs to traverse through a hierarchical tree-based menu system. Speech and audio tones are used to alert the user to system settings and errors, as well as a help mechanism and data analysis tool. At this time, alternative interfaces have been developed for the following basic laboratory instruments: an oscilloscope and function/arbitrary waveform generator. The interface methodology, however, can be extended to include any scientific instrument that can be controlled by LabVIEW.