To enhance the existing research facilities in the Department of Biology at Slippery Rock University, this award from the National Science Foundation will be used for the acquisition of an integrated instrumentation package consisting of an automated, research-grade photomicroscopy system, a cryostage and controller, and an anti-vibration table. The requested microscope will be equipped with optics permitting bright-field, phase-contrast, epifluorescence, and Nomarski DIC microscopic observations. As comparable facilities do not exist at Slippery Rock University or in the vicinity of the University, the requested instrumentation will significantly enhance the research opportunities for the investigators whose respective areas of research encompass the ecology and biodegradative capabilities of microorganisms living in soil environments impacted by acid mine drainage, investigations into the effects of acid mine drainage on the ecology of freshwater stream microorganisms and macroinvertebrates, and the ecophysiology of cold-tolerance in insects at the cellular level. Additionally, undergraduate student researchers will be provided with an opportunity to use the instrumentation in their collaborative projects with faculty, and will benefit from the new avenues of investigation this instrumentation makes possible.
