Funds from this Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) Program grant will support the purchase of a new field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) for the Imaging and Histology Core Facility (IHCF) at Northern Arizona University (NAU). This instrument will include a thermal field emission (FE) electron source, secondary electron imaging (SEI), backscatter electron imaging (BSE), electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD), wavelength disperse detector (WDS), scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), variable vacuum (VP), an interactive software system for live export of information to other locations (including across campus and to collaborators at other institutions), image archiving with database management, and collaborative software. This FE-SEM will support research and training across a number of departments at NAU including Chemistry & Biochemistry, Forestry, Mechanical Engineering, Biological Sciences, Environmental Sciences, and Physics & Astronomy. Ongoing research that will be supported by this instrument includes (1) properties of uranium oxide particulates and their uptake and localization in living cells; (2) changes occurring in pinyon pine (Pinus edulis) during severe drought; (3) accumulation of uranium is tissues of mice exposed to environmentally contaminated drinking water; (4) investigation of the role of giant titin protein in active muscle of mice; (5) symbiotic interactions among plant roots, fungi, and bacteria; (6) characterization of existing and novel biomaterials used for vascular grafts with human elastin; and (7) characterization of nanoparticle thin films used for energy storage.
Acquisition of a new FE-SEM will strengthen NAU's ongoing efforts in basic research, training of underrepresented students, business development, and collaborative work with academic institutions in Arizona and beyond. This instrument will improve the quality of research at NAU in the four areas of research targeted by our current Strategic Plan for Enhancing Research and Scholarship at NAU, namely life sciences/biosciences, renewable energy, landscape conservation/geospatial technologies, and climate-ecosystem interactions. It will significantly enhance the hands-on training of our undergraduate and graduate students in STEM fields, including women, Native American and Hispanic students. It will strengthen the many community outreach programs currently conducted or facilitated by the IHCF, and will foster connections between NAU and regional businesses.
