This award is for the acquisition of a confocal laser scanning microscope for the institution's departments of Biological Sciences, Chemistry, and Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering. The microscope will be used for research in: neurobiology of sensory systems; ecology and functional biology of fish; retinal development of fish and turtles; mechanisms of visual pigment regeneration; and regulation of the cell cycle.
Florida Tech is the only university on Florida's Space Coast, near the Kennedy Space Center and a high-tech corridor, and situated on a marine estuary. Therefore Florida Tech interacts with NASA, the Kennedy Space Center, private industry, regional marine laboratories, a local hospital, and state and local governmental agencies. The confocal microscope will help grow existing partnerships and develop new ones. The confocal microscope will expand research and training opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students, and it will provide a new opportunity for promoting science to area high school students and teachers.
