MRI: Acquisition of a Scanning Spectral Confocal Microscope for Multidisciplinary Research, Teaching and Outreach

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The scanning spectral confocal microscope (SPCM) is a highly versatile instrument suited to many research projects designed to characterize biological processes within organisms and their cells. The NSF MRI award has allowed the University of New England to acquire this microscope as the anchor for a core microscope facility that is enabling faculty, staff, and students in the basic sciences departments to expand their research programs. Significantly the SPCM can elucidate structural details in a variety of biological systems that previously could only be obtained indirectly, if at all. The projects supported by this facility are wide-ranging and address a broad diversity of important biological questions. The primary users examine signal transduction, the effects of steroids on nervous systems, the integrity of the blood-brain barrier, biofilm formation, characterization of fecal pathogens in the environment, and protein-protein interactions. The acquisition of the microscope is leading to the development of many additional areas of research as the capabilities of the core facility are accessed by the larger UNE research community. The microscope contributes to the educational programs at the University, as the advanced imaging capabilities provide excellent opportunities to demonstrate a variety of biological processes to the students. Microscopy is an important research tool for examining the intricacies of both biological and non-biological materials. Because of its unique ability to look into the three-dimensional structure of a material, confocal microscopy has emerged over recent years as a tool that can be used to examine the connections between the structure of a material and its function. For example, we can stain specific components of a material to see if they are active participants in a biological or chemical reaction. Researchers at the University of New England use this facility to advance their understanding of how cells interact in order to better understand basic biological processes. The microscope is the centerpiece in the universities outreach and education activities, as pictures and movies of biological (and non-biological) processes are streamed to remote locations to provide, for example, K-12 students with a unique look at biology at the microscopic scale, helping to stimulate the next generation of biological scientists.