Vicki J. Martin DUE 9552116 University of Notre Dame FY1995 $ 50,000 Notre Dame, IN 46556 ILI - Instrumentation Project: Life Sciences Title: New Visions: Advanced Optical Imaging for the Undergraduate In an increasing effort to expand improvements in undergraduate training, the Department of Biological Science at Notre Dame is initiating a program to integrate advanced bioimaging into its core curriculum. This decision is stimulated by a pressing need to incorporate innovative methods for recording, quantifying, and analyzing biological processes. In addition, new technological advancements in applied optics, electronic imaging, and computational-based image processing continue to drive the frontier of biomolecular imaging into all elements of our lives from medical diagnostics to science education and research. Clearly, if we plan to stay at the frontier of this technology, we must provide undergraduates with the opportunity to experiment, explore, and discover the power of applied optical imaging. To integrate bioimaging into undergraduate laboratories, we are carrying out a variety of experiments that combine the use of important new biosensors and molecular probes with state-of-the-art electronic detectors, high-powered confocal optics, and sophisticated software programs for the study of dynamic cell, developmental, and physiological processes. These exercises are training students in the nuts and bolts of electronic image acquisition, processing, and analysis, while emphasizing the power of computer-based digital optical instrumentation and its use as a quantitative tool for biological investigation.
