This grant provides partial support for the acquisition of a confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM) with spectral imaging capabilities. The award is made to Illinois State University (ISU) under the direction of Dr. Kevin Edwards. The microscope will be employed by a number of investigators for diverse research projects in cell and developmental biology, including: (1) the roles of conserved tyrosine phosphatases in cell signaling and development, (2) the effects of an ankyrin mutation on C. elegans neural development, (3) genetic dissection of the molecular processes that control directional growth of plant cells, (4) the development of novel microprobe-based cell imaging techniques, (5) the distribution of dopamine neurons in brain tissue in a rat Parkinson Disease model, (6) the investigation of the evolution of cell division in plants, (7) the role of ion transport proteins in the adaptation of fish to osmotic changes, and (8) the investigation of the endocrine regulation of follicle cell shape changes during insect reproduction.
The confocal microscope will be part of a multi-user facility, and will strengthen the infrastructure required to promote several of ISU's key missions: increased retention of undergraduates in research, enhancement of diversity in science, and strengthening K-12 science teaching. ISU serves a large pool of students who may have had little previous exposure to current scientific tools. Also, this instrument will be the nearest confocal microscope for Illinois Wesleyan Univ., Millikin Univ, Knox College, University of Illinois College of Medicine-Peoria, and the Peoria USDA-ARS facility, and thus will provide new research and training opportunities for those institutions.
