This Major Research Instrumentation award to Dartmouth College funds the acquisition of a confocal microscope with a hybrid scanner, spectral unmixing and components that allow for Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging (FLIM) and Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy (FCS) measurements. This system will significantly advance basic science research and teaching infrastructure at Dartmouth and throughout New Hampshire and Vermont. The research enabled by the new system addresses fundamental questions in cell biology and developmental biology, and utilizes a diverse array of model systems (bacteria, fungi, algae, plants, worms, flies and mice). In all cases, the new confocal system will substantially improve and expand the imaging capabilities and allow Dartmouth investigators to continue to conduct leading-edge research and to train the next generation of life scientists. Each of the faculty using the new microscope is committed to teaching science at all levels and to preparing successful future scientists and science teachers. The new system makes state-of-the-art imaging technology more accessible to undergraduate students, graduate students and post-doctoral scholars, as well as students and teachers in our local secondary schools. Furthermore, Dartmouth faculty members have an extensive history of including undergraduate interns in their research programs and incorporating the latest scientific approaches and data into their courses. The results of these research and teaching efforts will be broadly disseminated through abstracts and peer reviewed publications, as well as by active participation of students and faculty at professional meetings.
Understanding complex biological systems and pathways increasingly relies on high-resolution and quantitative imaging of cells and organisms. The major goal of this project was to bring much-needed additional imaging capabilities to the large group of researchers that rely heavily on the Department of Biological Sciences Light Microscopy Facility at Dartmouth. The state-of-the-art Nikon A1RSi confocal microscope that was purchased is extremely versatile and is the only one of its kind in New Hampshire and Vermont. Over 96 individuals from 28 labs across nine academic departments at Dartmouth have used this instrument. The continued enthusiasm of our users regarding the quality of this instrument and its capabilities attests to the previously unmet and urgent need for this technology in our research community. The instrument has sustained a continuing high volume of use and influx of new users. Users continue to explore new methods and techniques with this instrument, allowing research projects to move in new and exciting directions. This system has contributed in a significant way to the productivity of a diverse array of research programs; data acquired with this microscope has contributed to the publication of 24 research articles with an additional 6 currently under review or submitted, and another 10 in preparation. The instrument has facilitated scientific training and development at many different levels. More than 40 post-doctoral scholars, 30 graduate students, 10 undergraduate students and 8 research technicians have been trained to use the microscope. Beyond providing them with a tool to facilitate their research in a given area, our training program aids them in experimental design and analysis and also helps them to better understand and critically evaluate imaging data that is presented in journal articles, posters and presentations. In addition, during the funding period, the PI designed and instituted a graduate level microscopy course that focuses on the theory and practice of fluorescence imaging and emphasizes hand-on work with the A1RSi confocal microscope. Moreover, the imaging capability that this instrument has brought to Dartmouth has been a nucleating force for the research community. This resource has elevated and broadened the use of microscopy as a research tool and fostered new and exciting collaborations across departments. Finally, the Nikon confocal imaging system has contributed to a number of outreach endeavors. Each year, as hundreds of visitors of all ages and backgrounds tour the Dartmouth Life Sciences Center, they view several flat panel displays that highlight current research results, including those generated with the Nikon A1RSi. Therefore, visitors as well as several hundred undergraduates that attend science and non-science courses and events in our building are exposed on a daily basis to a changing repertoire of cutting edge microscopy images that this instrument has allowed. The imaging system also has been a focal point of eight outreach activities in which secondary school students are introduced to microscopy and the way that microscopy has revolutionized our ability to address complex questions and problems in the life sciences. In summary, NSF support of this imaging system has advanced knowledge across a diverse array of disciplines, has significantly enhanced training of our future life scientists, and also has served as a platform to educate non-scientists and engage them in discussion of how microscopy can transform our understanding of fundamental problems in the life sciences that impact society.
