The goal of this project is to provide students an opportunity to conduct experiments with biological phenomena at the cellular and molecular levels. The major new equipment includes a Nikon fluorescence microscope-camera system, a cryostat, and computer equipment linked to the fluorescence microscope through a closed- circuit video system for image analysis. Fluorescence markers are used to study , e.g., human, animal and plant chromosomes, cellular development and brain pathways. Some current student research projects involve the activation of genes in the hippocampus, tracing neural pathways in the brain, verification of success of transplantation of adrenal medulla tissue to the brain, sexual differentiation in the spinal cord, and analysis of muscle cell changes following the administration of anabolic steroids and exercise. The computer equipment is being linked to the fluorescence microscope and image analysis programs written to support the various experimental protocols. Students can explore the molecular basis of life in the laboratory, becoming proficient with equipment that is linked to computer systems while experiencing the increased experimental design and analysis capabilities available through such systems. This new equipment is enhancing biological laboratory work in Physiology, Genetics and Evolution, Introduction to Biology, and undergraduate student research. The grantee institution is matching the NSF award with an equal sum obtained from non-Federal sources.
