MRI: Acquisition of a Scanning Electron Microscope

Georgia College, Milledgeville GA

Investigators

Abstract

An award is made to Georgia College and State University (GCSU) to acquire a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) which features integrated Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS), Fully Automatic Critical Point Dryer, Cold Sputter/Etch Unit, and the latest Silicon Drift Detector (SDD) technology. This current technology will have a significant impact on research, education and outreach at the institution. Faculty members at GCSU are committed to its mission of excellence in research and teaching and producing graduates who have been exposed to a culture of engaged learning. Incorporating high magnification observation of organisms with the acquired SEM in the classroom will enhance the learning experience of the predominantly undergraduate population of the only designated Public Liberal Arts institution in the State of Georgia. In addition, this instrument will allow the university to engage students in original research that will enhance discoveries in biology and environmental sciences. The instrument's location in the university's Natural History Museum will provide unique and exciting opportunities for visiting middle and high school students, as well as members of the public, to witness science in action. Efforts to engage the larger community are particularly important given GCSU's location in Middle Georgia at the crossroads of a region with a primarily rural, low-income, minority population. In addition, this project will enable research that will provide vital knowledge to support environmental protection, economic development, and human health. Faculty at GCSU are committed to assessing and improving the environment in the State of Georgia and beyond. Research with the acquired SEM will be broad, innovative, collaborative, and will involve both undergraduate and graduate students. The imaging capabilities will be used to advance knowledge in a number of areas, including: measuring the abundance calcareous algae as correlated with ocean acidity; changes in calcification of conch in the Caribbean; systematics and taxonomy of diatoms from the southeastern US with continuous descriptions of new algal species; the prevention of algal blooms and algal toxin development considered as new health threats to humans using the recreational waters in Georgia; the microscopic analysis of plant families to understand plant evolution; the microscopic understanding of soil-­‐organism interactions; bacterial virus identification and characterization; and amyloid and prion biology, important biomolecules with largely unknown functions.