This grant supports the acquisition of a variable pressure scanning electron microscope (SEM) and x-ray microanalysis system at Montclair State University (MSU). The SEM will be shared by several interdisciplinary research programs in the College of Science and Mathematics and the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. Projects that will benefit from this instrument include: 1) investigating of the origin of the Martian magnetic anomalies, 2) investigating Earth's paleoclimate variability recorded in marine and terrestrial sedimentary sequences, 3) studying the tectonic history of the northeast United States and the Southern Andes of South America, 4) investigating diet and health reconstructions derived from ancient human bone from the North and Central Coasts of Peru and the U.S. Virgin Islands, 5) the fabrication and study of nano-sized structures such as molecular rulers and molecular electronic devices, and 6) investigating the effects of predators and physical variations in marine and freshwater environments on the shell microstructure of mollusks. The SEM will support research training and education programs at the undergraduate through post-doctoral levels. This training includes formal course work and supervised research activities. The new instrument will aid in establishing new collaborative and interdisciplinary relationships with other universities and industries in our region. Expanded SEM capabilities will allow us to incorporate electron microscopy into MSU's K-12 outreach programs including the Weston Scholars Program and the New Jersey regional American Chemical Society SEED Program, in which area high school students partner with faculty to conduct laboratory and field research during the summer, and the Professional Resources in Science and Mathematics (PRISM) program, in which MSU faculty partner with area K-12 teachers to enhance science and mathematics teaching in New Jersey.
