A grant has been awarded to North Carolina State University (NCSU) to acquire a confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM) for research and training. The new CLSM is essential to reveal the biological relevance of ongoing cellular, biochemical and genetic studies at NCSU. None of the CLSMs on campus were capable of the high resolution, high sensitivity, dynamic and fixed-specimen imaging required to monitor and analyze the distribution of low levels of multiple fluorescent compounds in organisms. The new CLSM will be housed in the Cellular Molecular Imaging Facility (CMIF), a University-wide facility that is a focal point for imaging training and research.
On-campus training and outreach was constrained by the lack of a state-of-the-art CLSM. The CLSM will have immediate and broad impacts on the training of undergraduates, graduates and post graduates at NCSU as well as undergraduates at near-by colleges who take the NCSU biotechnology imaging course. Furthermore, the CLSM will be used by a diverse group of PIs who provide role models as they mentor undergraduates in independent research and participate in summer REU programs involving students from non-research I and minority universities. The CLSM also will be highlighted during the tours and hands on activities for prospective students and local school children. For example, CMIF is a focal point of the ?Expanding your Horizon? program aimed at attracting 7th grade girls from around the State of North Carolina to a career in science, mathematics and engineering. Therefore, the new CLSM will greatly expand teaching, outreach and research activities at NCSU.
