Funds from this Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) Program grant will support acquisition of a variable pressure sample cell, field emission gun scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) for the Oklahoma State University Microscopy Laboratory. The PIs will purchase an FEI Quanta 600, equipped with an extremely bright electron source (FEG) that is capable of nano-scale microscopy of samples that have been conductively coated and imaged under high vacuum but also has the capability to image hydrated samples (e.g., biological materials) at atmospheric pressure. The FE-SEM will be equipped with an energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS) and an electron backscattered diffraction system (EBSD) to enable semi quantitative compositional analysis and characterization of crystallographic preferred orientation, respectively. The FE-SEM will upport research spanning the geological and materials sciences including: 1) investigations of microbe-mineral interactions and microbial "nanowire" effects on the electrical properties of natural materials; 2) investigations of colloidal assembly processes occurring during 3-D "printing" of colloidal gels used for dental crowns; and 3) studies of manufactured single crystal nanowires in an effort to develop techniques for tuning nanowire diameters with applications in photonics. The FE-EM will serve a user base of over 250 faculty, students, postdoctoral fellows and staff at OSU though the Electron Microscopy Lab. The PIs will engage undergraduate and graduate students in advanced techniques in microscopy through courses that willl serve a culturally diverse group over a broad spectrum of disciplines including chemistry, physics, geology, chemical, electrical and mechanical engineering, cell biology, microbiology, virology, physiology, plant and animal pathology, botany, forestry, horticulture and food and nutritional sciences. The PIs will host faculty and students at Langston University, a minority institution with strong ties to OSU's Microscopy Laboratory and make the instrument available to several technology companies in the State. Co-PI Estella Atekwana in an African American female geoscientist with a track record of outreach to underrepresented students. The PIs plan outreach programs to K-12 teachers, Native American high school students in Oklahoma, and children through an "Ugly Bug" (insect imaging) contest and the Stillwater Children's Museum.
