MRI: Acquisition of a Transmission Electron Microscope for the Core, Multi-User Microscopy Facility at Appalachian State University

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The Dewel Microscopy Facility (DMF) in the College of Arts & Sciences at Appalachian State University (ASU) is using a new transmission electron microscope (TEM) to improve and enhance faculty, staff, and student research and teaching at ASU and in western North Carolina. A TEM is an essential tool for studying internal cellular and ultra-structures of animal and plant tissues, as well as microorganisms. It also is very important for teaching and research in many other scientific disciplines, including physics, chemistry, geology and materials science. The acquired instrument is the JEOL JEM-1400 TEM. The DMF is a core, multi-user microscopy facility for all Appalachian State University departments as well as community colleges, high schools and industry in the Appalachian region of western North Carolina. Some of the immediate applications where this instrumentation has significant impact for researchers include investigation of the roles of microtubules in root development and morphogenesis; localization of plant stem cells producing reactive oxygen species under high light stress; characterization of microvascular alterations during cervical remodeling in mice; ultrastructural localization of proteins in the gills of fishes; and studies of metallic nanostructures on end-faces of optical fibers for chemical sensing applications. In addition, this new TEM will significantly improve the teaching quality of biology and physics microscopy courses at Appalachian State University.Appalachian State University is a fast growing public university located in western North Carolina, many of whose students are first generation college attendees. Therefore, one of the main goals in the application of this new instrumentation is to train many motivated undergraduate students across biology, physics, chemistry, geology, and other disciplines. The new TEM will also play a vital role in several current outreach programs, including the Appalachian Student Experience-based Education (AppalSEED) Academy, which is a year-long program and focuses on training home-schooled students and high school students from underrepresented groups, including women and African-American students, in western North Carolina. Lastly, the new TEM will enhance service capabilities of the DMF for the surrounding communities and further strengthen collaborations among biologists, physicists, and other scientists, as well as faculty and students at other universities in western North Carolina. The project outcomes are available for public viewing on a dedicated page at the DMF website (http://www.casmifa.appstate.edu/index.html).