MRI: Acquisition of molecular and cellular imaging instrumentation.

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This award from the Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) program will be used to purchase four significant instruments to support a new core imaging facility at Haverford College, a selective liberal arts college with a diverse student body. The new instruments funded by this grant are a transmission electron microscope, a scanning electron microscope, a confocal microscope, and a fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) system. This facility will serve the research and educational missions of the Biology Department and will also be an important resource for faculty and students in the Physics and Chemistry Departments. These instruments will significantly enhance the research capabilities of the faculty, most with external funding to support their research programs. Since the focus of the Haverford Biology Department is in cell and molecular biology, access to these imaging tools will benefit research projects in areas such as biomaterials research, nanotechnology, developmental biology and embryogenesis, neurobiology, immunology, and stem cell biology. Notably, the faculty collaborate frequently in their research, bringing together skills and expertise to develop synergies that advance science in new directions and serving as role models in students' training. Students are immersed in the process of doing science, fostering their ability to think broadly and from interdisciplinary perspectives. Students will use these instruments for their course work and their senior thesis projects, and will also develop state-of-the-art skills that will be helpful in for a career path in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics).