Acquisition of a Spectral Confocal Microscope: Teaching and Research Explorations in Biological Sciences in an Undergraduate College Setting

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Award Abstract9977366Barbara BeltzWellesley CollegeAcquisition of a Spectral Confocal Microscope: Teaching and Research Explorations in Biological Sciences in an Undergraduate College settingConfocal Microscopy is poised at the interface between anatomical, physiological, biochemical, and molecular techniques. The laser microscope therefore is rapidly becoming a centerpiece in biological technology, and instrument that should be included as standard equipment for departments striving toward excellent teaching and research facilities. With this award, a Leica TCS SP Spectral Confocal Microscope will be purchased for the Biological Sciences Department at Wellesley College. This microscope is a critical investment in our next generation of students. Wellesley's productive record in education of women scientists, along with its recent progress in attracting more underrepresented minorities to the sciences, bodes well for the sustained impact on this instrument on research training.The primary mission at Wellesley College is the undergraduate education of women. This commitment has taken on a special meaning in the sciences where women have traditionally been underrepresented. In the Biological Sciences Department, the permanent full-time faculty of 12 members maintains high standards for both teaching and research. The vast majority of faculty has extramural funding that supports productive research programs that also are focused on training undergraduate students. Therefore, the confocal microscope will not only have an impact on research training, but will also enhance the research environment for a high proportion of our faculty.The 7 projects that are described in this application represent a wide variety of approaches to biological research: studies of prokaryotic systems; cell physiology (apoptosis in mammalian cell cultures); neurosciences in both vertebrate and invertebrate systems; cell physiology in plants (Arabidopsis cytoskeleton). The acquisition of the confocal microscope will therefore impact a broad base of faculty and undergraduate research students in the department, as well as specific courses in the curriculum at Wellesley College Biological Sciences Department.