MRI: Acquisition of a Spectral Confocal Microscope for multidisciplinary research and training at an undergraduate college for women

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With this grant, Wellesley College is purchasing a Leica TCS SP5 AOBS Spectral Confocal Microscope. The impact of this instrumentation is two-fold: enhancing the research environment for faculty in the Biological Sciences and Chemistry Departments and related interdisciplinary programs, and enhancing research training opportunities for students. This microscope allows the visualization of a wide variety of fluorescent molecules for localization and live-cell imaging studies in samples ranging from bacteria and yeast to whole mounts of brains and seedlings. The primary users are tackling central questions in biology: membrane trafficking mechanisms in plant cell division, stress mechanisms in cyanobacteria, cellular uptake of antimicrobial peptides, neuroendocrine control of behavior, mechanisms of adult neurogenesis, and brain development during critical periods in cognitive and social development. This is a critical investment in research programs at Wellesley College and in the next generation of undergraduate students. Wellesley's productive record in the education of women scientists, along with its recent progress in attracting more underrepresented minorities to the sciences, bodes well for the sustained and broad impact of this instrumentation on research progress, research training and learning. The encouragement of talented young women to choose careers in the sciences will ultimately strengthen the infrastructure of the scientific community in the United States and yield benefits to all members of our society. Results from the research projects will be disseminated through national or regional presentations by students and faculty, and through peer-reviewed journal publications.