This award supports the acquisition of a laser capture microscope to be used by several investigators at California State University, Long Beach for non-contact laser capture of tissues, cells, and chromosomes. The instrument will also be used in physics as a patterning tool on high temperature superconducting thin films and devices. Specific research projects include: (1) fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) studies aimed at examining the identity and stability of chromosomes involved in lagging during spermatogenesis and those that form micronuclei in the sperm bundles of a butterfly (Eucheira socialis), (2) investigations of structure-specific gene expression in seasonally-regressed ovaries of Siberian hamsters (Phodopus sungorus), and (3) patterning of high temperature superconducting cuprate thin films and devices to investigate their conductive properties using variable temperature scanning laser microscopy. All faculty teach and conduct research at the minority-serving institution of CSU Long Beach. They have active research programs that involve primarily undergraduates. Using lasers for microdissection and patterning is a relatively new advance in microscopy and as of yet there are few institutions with such equipment. The laboratory work entailed in this project will provide valuable training for students with state-of-the-art equipment.
