Acquisition of a Flow Cytometer for Interdisciplinary Research in Marine Biology and Biogeochemistry

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A grant has been awarded to the University of Delaware, College of Marine Science, under the direction of Dr. Robert Kirchman to purchase a flow cytometer. This shared-use instrument will be available to ocean science researchers for a wide range of research applications, for training of graduate and undergraduate students, and possibly for shipboard use. The flow cytometry has emerged as a powerful, and in some applications, an essential tool in biological oceanography and marine biology. This instrument can be used to count, characterize and sort particles ranging from viruses and bacteria to algae and invertebrate embryos. The instrument proposed was chosen because of its ease of use, low maintenance costs, and durability. It is also one of the few flow cytometers with an aerosol-free sorting chamber, which is necessary for analyzing radioactive samples. The capability to sort radioactive samples will make this facility unique in the Mid-Atlantic region. Examples of potential uses include areas of: 1. marine microbial ecology; 2. microbe characterization; 3. algal physiology and phytoplankton oceanography; and 4. marine developmental biology. To facilitate use of the requested instrument by both undergraduate and graduate students, a new course on single-cell methods will be offered that will expose students to the array of methods used for analyzing marine organisms at the single cell level. This course will allow hands-on training and use of the flow cytometer.