Modern imaging facilities are essential for biological research in cell and developmental biology. The Department of Biology at Clark University is upgrading their imaging facility with a high quality research-grade compound microscope with phase contrast, differential interference contrast, and epifluorescence optics. In addition, a cooled CCD camera, a computer, and software for capturing, processing, and storing images, will be part of the system. Together these constitute a complete system for the generation and analysis of photomicrographs.
Specific research to be carried out with this system will include the microscopic analysis of cells defective in cell division, the examination of nuclear behavior of certain fungi as a means of gaining insights into fungal evolutionary relationships as well as fungal developmental evolution on a cellular level, the analysis of proteins required in the synthesis and regulation of membrane organelles, and the examination of the role of receptor tyrosine kinase signaling pathways in the growth and development of the Drosophila eye.
Six new faculty members (out of nine total) have joined the Department of Biology within the last seven years. With this turnover also comes an updating and improvement of the current facilities. Although the four co-PIs and their associated lab personnel will be the primary users of the facility, this imaging system will be available for research use by all faculty, graduate students, and advanced undergraduate students in the department. The addition of a research-grade microscopy imaging facility will become a cornerstone for the department. Despite its small size, the Department of Biology has been very successful in involving undergraduate students in research and in preparing them for advanced studies. Since 1989 over 350 students that have received their baccalaureate degrees in the sciences from Clark University have gone on to obtain advance degrees in biology or health-related disciplines. This imaging system will contribute greatly to the ability to train students and will be an integral part of the research programs of the four co-PIs.
