MRI: Acquisition of a Scanning Electron Microscope and Energy Dispersive X-ray Analysis System

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This award provides funds for the acquisition of a Variable Pressure Scanning Electron Microscope (VPSEM) and an Energy Dispersive Spectrometer (EDS). These instruments will be placed in the Skidmore Microscopy Imaging Center, a shared use facility serving the research and training needs of faculty and students in Biology, Chemistry, Anthropology and Geosciences. The instruments will be used in a variety of projects, including the following: analysis of the structure and development of the extracellular matrix of green algae found in wetland biofilms; studies of the structure and elemental composition of natural and synthetic clays with encapsulated metal ions, metal complexes, or metalloenzymes; developmental studies of symbiotic bacterial biofilms found in intestinal tissues of tropical squid; identification and bioinorganic analyses of dacryoconarid fossils; textural and elemental analyses of chert artifacts found in the Hudson and Mohawk River valleys that have archeological importance. In addition to their role in research, the instruments will be used to enhance well-established student-faculty collaborative research opportunities and to enrich learning in several advanced microscopy-courses. They will also find use in several outreach programs including the Skidmore Science Institute for Girls, and collaborative efforts between faculty of local high schools and college faculty that involve the Skidmore Microscopy Imaging Center. The Institution will provide funds needed to assure the effective and continuing operation of this instrument throughout its useful life.