MRI: Track 1: Acquisition Of A Field-scanning Spinning Disk Confocal Imaging System For Super-resolution And Live Imaging Of Biological Systems

An award is made to the University of Iowa to acquire a Nikon CSU W1 SoRa super-resolution spinning disc confocal microscope (SoRa), to enable long term and high-resolution live imaging to answer critical biological questions. The SoRa will be housed in the department of Biology Carver Center for Imaging (CCI). A diverse group of ~100 graduate and undergraduate student researchers will be potential users.

Among these will be students from traditionally underrepresented minorities in science, participating in programs led by faculty in our department. The SoRa will provide valuable practical experience for these young scientists and allow them to perform experiments previously not possible. The SoRa will also be incorporated into the curriculum of advanced teaching labs that train over 160 students each year.

In one of these labs, students will acquire industry-related skills by collaborating with a non-profit antibody distributing bank, contributing to building a contemporary workforce. The SoRa will be the focus of an annual virtual tour for ~30 undergraduate students from small colleges, broadening the impact outside the University of Iowa. As SoRa is not available anywhere else in the region, it will enhance collaborative partnerships across eastern Iowa.

As part of the CCI, SoRa will serve all research users, including nine major and five minor faculty user groups. The topics these groups study are representative of the wide array of biological questions supported by NSF from the fields of evolution, development, cell biology, neurobiology, and genetics, and use diverse model organisms (yeasts, nematodes, flies, snails and mice).

The SoRa will provide answers to important biological questions at the forefront of basic life sciences exploration. Thus, the SoRa will be transformative to user groups performing basic biology research at the University of Iowa, yielding 3D super-resolution live imaging data that was not accessible to labs previously.

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.