MRI-R2: Acquisition Of A Shared Electron Microscope For The Institute Of Neurobiology

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This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).Funds from the Major Research Instrumentation-Recovery and Reinvestment (MRI-R2) program were provided to support the acquisition of a new transmission electron microscope (TEM) to replace a 30 year old TEM at the University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus (UPR-MSC). The TEM will be installed at the Institute of Neurobiology. The Institute is an interdisciplinary, interdepartmental research facility devoted to the study of the structure and function of the nervous system at all levels of organization from whole animal behavior to molecular biology. Because it is managed as a shared resource, the new TEM significantly enhances the research efforts of investigators at the Institute, at other campuses of the UPR, and at other universities in Puerto Rico. The projects benefitting from the TEM address the broad objectives of understanding basic mechanisms of connectivity of the nervous system, focusing on changes during development, after injury, and in response to the environment. The acquisition of the TEM also positively impacts training of graduates and medical students, undergraduates and science teachers. Courses in basic and advanced electron microscopy enrich graduate programs and increase the number of qualified users on the island. Community outreach efforts, which include workshops in electron microscopy for high school teachers and visits to the new facility by groups of high school students, also broaden the impact of the instrumentation upon science education. Following in the tradition of the UPR as a major contributor to the education and training of scientists, the shared electron microscope is instrumental in the training of future academic leaders in the field of Neuroscience. Results from the studies enabled by the new TEM will be disseminated by student and faculty presentations at regional and national meetings, and through publication in peer-reviewed journals.