Equipment: MRI: Acquisition of a Confocal Microscope to Establish a Multi-Institution Core Facility for Undergraduate Research and Education

An award is made to Mount St. Mary’s University (MSMU) to acquire a confocal microscope to enable research and teaching across three primarily undergraduate institutions. MSMU will house the instrument with shared access to Gettysburg College and Hood College.

The microscope will provide a scientific resource currently unavailable at all three schools, thereby serving a regional need in advancing research abilities and student opportunities. Because all three institutions have a strong commitment to undergraduate training, the confocal microscope will expose numerous students to cutting-edge technology that will stimulate enthusiasm for research and support career aspirations in STEM disciplines.

Creating a regional hub for advanced microscopy will foster collaboration among the investigators, bolstering creativity and scientific curiosity among faculty and students. Notably, many students who attend MSMU, Gettysburg, and Hood come from underrepresented backgrounds in science, and will particularly benefit from training in advanced techniques that support their path to the STEM workforce.

Additionally, these institutions have multiple initiatives that seek to enhance science education beyond undergraduate science majors, including a program at MSMU that provides an inquiry-based research experience for high school students in the public school system and Brain Awareness Week programs developed by MSMU neuroscience majors.

This award will allow high-resolution imaging that will enhance research spanning multiple disciplines, including traditional cell biology, neuroscience, cancer biology, signaling, and membrane biology. It will enable student and faculty researchers at these institutions to ask questions not previously possible. From creating three-dimensional images of cells to examining the interactions between molecules and visualizing real-time changes of cellular components in living organisms the instrument will transform the research environment of these institutions.

Beyond this, use of this instrument in advanced undergraduate courses will broaden and modernize the educational experiences of students in this region.

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.