During the previous two years, usage of the Department of Anatomy's electron microscopic facility has increased five-fold. This is primarily due to the following reasons: (1) hiring of new faculty who utilize the electron microscope very extensively; (2) hiring of a new Chairman; (3) increased requirements for microscope time by existing faculty. In addition, many of our faculty now have a number of research associates including pre- and post-doctoral fellows and they all require time on the electron microscope to carry out projects on funded grants. Unfortunately, our Department only has 1 transmission electron microscope, a JEOL 100s, purchased five years ago and a single 10-year old scanning electron microscope that is unreliable and has very poor resolution. It is essential that a second microscope with TEM and SEM be procured as soon as possible to enable us to continue to meet our commitments to our research projects as outlined in our grants.
