MRI - R2: Acquisition of a Digital Steromicroscopy System for Research, Research Training and the Intergration of Research and Education at Mesa State College

Colorado Mesa University, Grand Junction CO

Investigators

Abstract

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). This Major Research Instrumentation-Recovery and Reinvestment (MRI-R2) award funds the acquisition of a stereomicroscopy system for use at Mesa State College. The primary users of the requested equipment are members of the Biology Department at Mesa State College. The Biology Department is one of the largest on campus, and has a solid record of scholarly activity and undergraduate research. The Microscopy Center at Mesa State supports projects conducted by investigators at the college and in the region. Research projects that will be aided immediately by this equipment include studies into cellular signaling mechanisms in social amoebae, the evolution of polychaetous annelids and the mechanism of action of rattlesnake toxins. These projects have regional, national and international impacts. Mesa State College is a primarily baccalaureate-granting, comprehensive liberal arts college that serves a large area of the western slope of Colorado, one of the fastest growing regions of the western United States. Enrollment at Mesa State has grown dramatically in recent years and nearly 7000 students currently attend; 20% of these students come from minority groups, 60% are women and 25% are first-generation college students. An important goal of research at Mesa State College is to augment undergraduate education, and all of the research projects described here involve undergraduate students, with most being driven by student researchers. The new stereomicroscope will also enhance instruction in the teaching laboratory, where it will be used to demonstrate important topics in biology and to introduce modern techniques in biological research. Data from the studies that utilize the new microscope will be disseminated through student and faculty presentations at regional and national meetings, and through publication in peer-reviewed journals.