This award will be used to purchase a Leo 435VP scanning electron microscope (SEM) and associated computer equipment for the California Academy of Sciences. The microscope will replace an older, extensively used SEM to conduct research on systematics, evolutionary biology, biodiversity, ecology, and conservation. The SEM is invaluable in revealing, quantifying, and diagnosing internal and external structures of organisms. Work of the SEM provides the fundamental data for building an understanding of phylogenetic and evolutionary relationships of protists, plants and animals. The knowledge and understanding gained by researchers at the California Academy of Sciences is shared with the scientific community through peer-reviewed publications. The existing SEM needed to be replaced in order to fulfill the research and educational goals of the Academy. First, the resolution on the new microscope will be much greater. Second, the variable pressure available on the new SEM will allow for the examination of specimens without conductive coating, allowing researchers to examine the many unique and rare museum specimens at the Academy. Third, the new SEM reduces electron charging, allowing higher quality images of delicate structures. Fourth, the new SEM will be fitted with a digital camera for the production of images. As a nonprofit research institution that disseminates scientific information through scientific publications and its public museum, the California Academy of Sciences has a strong commitment to education at all levels. Upon installation of the new SEM, the old SEM will be relocated onto the public floor of the museum. Trained volunteers and interns will introduce visitors to microscopic organisms and their structures through the SEM. The new instrument will continue to be used in training the next generation of taxonomists and systematists.
