MRI: Acquisition of MicroCT for Research and Training in Biology

An award is made to Utah State University to acquire an X-ray microCT scanner, which will allow investigators to analyze the interior structure of objects in three dimensions, nondestructively. The instrument will support a wide range of biological research, as well as other scientific and engineering studies, and faculty researchers, graduate students, and undergraduates will be trained in the use of this important technology.

Native American students from the University’s Blanding Campus, 400 miles south of the main campus in Logan, will use the instrument as participants in summer mentorship programs and will be able to continue studying and analyzing the digital images after they return to their home campus. Importantly, the instrument will be used to generate digital images of certain species of animals that, for cultural reasons, cannot be studied by those students from physical specimens, providing a wider range of potential research projects.

The instrument will also generate images of fossils in the University’s Prehistoric Museum, which can then be displayed alongside the specimens themselves in the Museum’s public exhibits in the rural town of Price. On the main campus faculty and students in the university’s renowned ceramics program will use the instrument to conduct studies of novel glazing and firing methods.

Biologists at Utah State University will apply microCT technology to a diverse array of research projects, generating 3D images of both animals and plants to investigate a wide range of phenomena. Among its many applications, the instrument will be used to study evolutionary changes in anatomical features, such as the middle ear structure of frogs (which has consequences for their vocal communication), blood vessels that supply specialized defensive organs and endocrine glands in chemically defended snakes, and changes in brain structure associated with the evolution of social behavior in bees.

Other researchers will examine the reproductive condition and immune tissues of lizards exposed to environmental stressors in urban areas, the impact of genetics on inflammatory processes in mammalian bone, the structure of biologically engineered fibers, the geometry of plant root systems, and specializations that permit an invasive aquatic fern to harbor nitrogen-fixing bacteria. The digital images that are produced will be used in scientific publications, educational resources (including digital images for use by veterinary students), and public outreach.

Beyond the biological sciences, faculty and students in other departments at Utah State University will apply microCT technology to their research on geological faults, microbial mats that form in highly saline waters, and the manufacture and safety of engineered materials.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.