A system-wide confocal microscope core facility is being established to serve students and faculty throughout the state. The facility can be involved through several avenues, including on-site visitation and remote operation using high-speed networking protocols such as Asynchronous Transfer Mode and Integrated Services Digital Networks. The computer-controlled confocal microscope is maintained in a shared resource center and is being incorporated into undergraduate curricula to teach dynamic cellular processes in biological applications. The basis of confocal microscope theory meshes the disciplines of physics, optics, light, computer science, chemistry, and biology into useful and aesthetically pleasing images. Faculty and staff expertise can be shared among campuses, thus benefiting the many undergraduates enrolled in the university system. Accomplishments generated from the core facility can be disseminated through various methods, including workshops in confocal microscopy, student and faculty presentations and publications, and the development of image databases and curricular material available through the World Wide Web. The resource material is available throughout the university system, as well as to the K through 14 schools and the scientific community at large.
