LONG ISLAND UNIVESITY (LIU) HAS ESTABLISHED A NEW COLLEGE OF VETERINARY MEDICINE (CVM). THE LIU CVM HAS RECEIVED PROVISIONAL ACCREDITATION FROM THE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION OF THE AMERICAN VETERINARY MEDICAL ASSOCIATION, HAS ENROLLED ITS FIRST CLASS OF 109 STUDENTS, AND HAS RECEIVED OVER 1000 APPLICATIONS FOR NEXT YEAR'S CLASS. LIU HAS THUS FAR INVESTED OVER FIVE MILLION DOLLARS IN NEW LABORATORIES AND EQUIPMENT FOR THE NEW SCHOOL, AND WILL BE INVESTING MILLIONS MORE. RESEARCH IS A PRIORITY AT LIU AND THE CVM IS ONE OF SEVERAL COLLEGES IN WHICH MAJOR INVESTMENTS IN RESEARCH ARE BEING MADE. AT THIS TIME MOST OF THE BASIC SCIENCES FACULTY HAVE BEEN HIRED, BUT ADDITIONAL FACULTY (SUCH AS UP TO TWO VIROLOGISTS AND A PARASITOLOGIST) TO BE HIRED THIS YEAR.A KEY COMPONENT OF ANY RESEARCH ENTERPRISE IS THE AVAILABILITY OF CORE RESEARCH EQUIPMENT THAT IS ESSENTIAL FOR MULTIPLE USERS TO CARRY OUT EXTERNALLY AND INTERNALLY FUNDED RESEARCH. A CORE MICROSCOPY SUITE IS REQUIRED BY THE MAJORITY OFTHE BASIC SCIENCES FACULTY AT LIU CVM, AND HAS RECENLTY BEEN COMPLETED. THIS SUITE WILL HOUSE A NIKON E200 FLUORESCENCE MICROSCOPE SYSTEM, A LASER DISSECTION MICROSCOPE (LDM), AND A CONFOCAL LASER SCANNING MICROSCOPE (CLSM). A STATE-OF-THE ART CLSM THAT WILL ENABLE DIVERSE INVESTIGATORS TO OBTAIN RESULTS THAT WILL MOVE THEIR FIELDS FORWARD IS THE MOST EXPENSIVE OF THESE SCOPES AND THE TOTAL COST IS BEYOND THE UNIVERSITY BUDGET AT THIS TIME. THESE FUNDS WILL PROVIDE THE UPGRADES TO THE CLSM NECESSARY TO OBTAIN EXTRAORDINARY RESOLUTION AND OBSERVE LABELLED CELLULAR COMPNENTS IN REAL TIME AND UNDER LIVING (NOT JUST FIXED) CONDITIONS. A CLSM ENABLES THREE-DIMENSIONAL (3D) LIVE IMAGING, WITH ACCESS TO MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR PROCESSES IN REAT TIME. THE IMAGE IS OBTAINED ONLY FROM THE FOCAL PLANE, WITH THE OPTICAL REMOVAL OF NOISE DUE TO THE THICKNESS OF THE SAMPLE. THE IMAGES ARE ALSO OBTAINED POINT BY POINT USING LASER EXCITATION, RATHER THAN ILLUMINATION, WHEN INDIVIDUAL COMPONENTS ARE LABELLED WITH DIFFERENTLY COLORED FLUORESCENT TAGS (SUCH AS ANTIBODIES, LECTINS, OR DNA PROBES) INDIVIDUAL STRUCTURES ARE BRILLIANTLY HIGHLIGHTED WITH EXTRAODINARY DETAIL. CLSM HAS BECOME THE REQUIRED METHOD OF CHOICE FOR BIOFILM STUDIES, PARTICULARLY POLYMICROBIAL BIOFILMS. HOWEVER, ALL FIELDS THAT INVESTIGATE PROCESSES AT THE CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR LEVEL BENEFIT FROM A CLSM. BECAUSE WORK CAN BE DONE WITH CELLS OR MICROORGANISMS IN REAL TIME, UNDER GROWTH CONDITIONS, IT IS ESSENTIAL THAT A CLSM IS AVAILABLE AT THE SITE WHERE IT WILL BE USED, AS TRANSPORT TO A DISTANT CORE FACILITY WOULD NOT BE PRACTICAL. THE COMPONENTS THAT WILL BE ADDED TO THIS CLSM WITH USDA-NIFA SUPPLEMENTAL FUNDING INCLUDE: INCUBATION COMPONENTS: STAGE-TOP HEATING, HUMIDITY, AND CO2 SUPPLY FOR 35-MM PETRI-DISHES, CHAMBERED SLIDES, AND 96-WELL PLATES; DEFINITE FOCUS COMPONENTS: OVER SHORT AND LONG PERIODS OF TIME, FOCAL AND THERMAL DRIFT CAN BE COMPENSATED FOR, AND THE IMAGING REMAINS ROCK STABLE; 5MPAXIOCAM CAMERA: THIS CAMERA ENABLES COLLECTION OF WIDEFIELD IMAGES IN FLUORESCENCE OR WITH BRIGHTFIELD COLOR (HNE, IHC, TRICHOME ETC.) STAINING. IT ALSO INTEGRATES WITH DEFINITE FOCUS AND ANY CONFOCAL IMAGING TO ALSO PROVIDE AUTOFOCUS ABILITY.IN SUMMARY, THIS CLSM WILL STRENGTHEN THE CAPABILITY OF THE NEW LIU CVM TO CARRY OUT INNOVATIVE, INTERDISCIPLINARY, AND CUTTING EDGE RESEARCH THAT WILL IMPROVE CONTROL OF DISEASES OF AGRICULTURALLY IMPORTANT ANIMALS. FACULTY WITH CURRENT AND PENDING GRANTS THAT REQUIRE THE USE OF CLSM WILL BE ABLE TO COMPLETE THEIR WORK. FURTHERMORE, THE MICROSCOPY EXPERTISE AND CAPABILITY OF EARLY CAREER FACULTY, POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWS, AND STUDENTS (VETERINARY AND GRADUATE) WIL BE STREGTHENED.