Instrumentation for Study of Biological Structure

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This award provides funds to an outstanding group of investigators who study organismal structure with particular attention to that of vertebrates. The funds will be used to purchase microscopes, video cameras and recorders, computers and specialized computer software need for modern morphometric analysis. Although the study of structure is a long established area of biological investigation, the recent remarkable progress in studies of molecular and subcellular organization has somewhat eclipsed studies of higher level organization at a time when the application of computers has permitted increasingly sophisticated quantitative morphology. The coupling of video equipment to microscopes together with the use of computers for storage and analysis of the video data has been the key element of progress in this area. The study of morphology continues to provide key insights into the how and why of organismal evolution, and to out understanding of adaptation of species to their environments. This award recognizes the continuing importance of the study of morphology and of the importance of modern instrumentation in these studies.