MRI: Acquisition of a Transmission Electron Microscope and an Energy Dispersive Spectrometer to Assist a Broader Group of Student and Faculty Researchers

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This Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) grant provides funding to allows Saginaw Valley State University (SVSU) to replace an existing 25-year-old transmission electron microscope (TEM) with a new JEOL JEM-1230 TEM, acquire sample preparation equipment for the characterization of materials, and add an Oxford Instruments INCA 250 energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS) to the current scanning electron microscope. The new TEM provides high resolution morphological imaging of biological and material samples as well as electron diffraction of materials using 120 kV accelerating voltage. The EDS system supplies elemental analysis, image capture, and phase mapping of materials.The electron microscopy facility at SVSU has and continues to have a broad impact on education, research, and community outreach. While the biology department maintains the facility, faculty and students from biology, chemistry, mechanical engineering, and electrical engineering use it. Faculty and students at SVSU conduct a wide variety of research, a few examples are: immunogold imaging, examination of animal organs, plant cells, DNA, biomaterials, ceramics, nanoparticles, and metals. Through the equipment acquisitions under this project, a greater number of undergraduate students and faculty at SVSU will be able to engage in electron microscopy course work and research. Also, outreach activities for middle, high school, and community college students from the surrounding rural and urban areas will continue to grow and expose these constituents to advanced research and analysis techniques in science and engineering. These programs will continue to have a significant impact in attracting women and minorities to careers in science, engineer, and technology. Additionally, local small and medium sized businesses will use the facility to conduct basic research on new products and evaluate manufacturing processes.