Acquisition of a Fluorescence Stereoscope and Laser Scanning Confocal Microscope for Spectral Imaging of Plant Cells

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A grant has been awarded to the Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research under the direction of Dr. Maria J. Harrison to acquire a fluorescence stereoscope and laser scanning confocal microscope that will be used in studies of plant cells. The microscopes will allow researchers and students to make observations of plant cells with improved depth of field and without autofluroescence of plant cells that makes viewing difficult under other types of microscopes. The instruments will have a direct benefit to ten primary and seven secondary users who study a variety of cellular and molecular plant structures and processes. Research topics include mycorhhizal bacterial associated with plants, bacterial virulence, differentiation of tissues in leaves, and interactions between plants and aphids that live on them, among others. The Boyce Thompson Institute is affiliated with Cornell University and SUNY-Cortland, through which a large number of students will have access to the microscopes for their courses and research. A summer internship program in plant genome research with a strong record of minority student involvement will also take advantage of research opportunities offered by the new equipment.