An award is made to Central Michigan University to acquire a Hitachi high-contrast/high-resolution digital transmission electron microscope (TEM). The new microscope will enable the training of the next generation of scientists in modern methods using TEM for analysis of biological and materials science samples. Undergraduate and graduate students will be exposed to the new TEM in courses that are required for the Biology/microscopy majors and that serve the doctoral students in the interdisciplinary Science of Advanced Materials Ph.D. program. The interdisciplinary team of faculty will attract underrepresented students to their research teams, and introduce high school students to cutting edge methods in STEM research, by participating in campus-wide programs that serve underrepresented students. The new TEM will also be incorporated into outreach activities for K-12 students, including "Grandparents University", a program to bring grandparent/grandchild pairs to campus for educational experiences in a university setting.
The acquisition of the new Hitachi TEM will enable biology researchers to continue a long history of performing research using TEM, and at the same time, provide a new capability for materials science researchers at CMU. The new TEM has state-of-the-art imaging technology that will allow biology researchers to substantially increase the quality and quantity of images of low-contrast biological samples. The biology research projects that will benefit from the new TEM span a broad range and include the analysis of membrane remodeling that occurs in eggs in response to stress and aging, and the characterization of a novel cell type in corn endosperm. The new TEM will be configured to allow faculty and student researchers working with nanomaterials and polymers to collect data on campus instead of traveling to outside institutions. The materials science research projects include the characterization of the superlattice structure of ferroelectric nanoparticles that can be used in exciting applications such as energy conversion and data storage, and characterization of edge-defined graphene nanoribbons that have applications for lithium-ion battery electrodes. The new TEM will enhance the growing research capabilities at CMU, serve students in many programs, and attract new researchers to CMU.
