MRI: Acquisition of an FEI Quanta 250 ESEM with EDS for research and training in the HSU College of Natural Resources and Sciences

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The College of Natural Resources and Sciences Core Facility at Humboldt State University is a recently established shared-use laboratory for student and faculty research. This award will allow the addition of a modern environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM) with back-scattered electron (BSE) imaging and energy dispersive x-ray spectrometry (EDS) and supporting sample preparation equipment to the facility, greatly increasing the range of studies that can be undertaken. Planned research activities in the biological sciences include investigations of the olfactory epithelium of amphibians, plant gravitropism, bryozoan phylogeny, bee genitalia, fungal systematics, the neurobiology and ecotoxicology of freshwater worms, the stomatal features of the world?s tallest trees, developmental defects associated with sperm protein knockdown in C. elegans, and bacterial interactions with mineral particles in acid lakes at Lassen Volcanic National Park. In the earth sciences, studies will include analyses of high-temperature, high-pressure mineralogy and petrology experiments, the microstructures and rock textures formed in active fault zones, the weathering properties of minerals and formation of soils, and the microstructure of fossil plants. In the physical sciences, studies on the surface properties of test masses will allow precise testing of the gravitational inverse-square law. Humboldt State currently has no ESEM or EDS capabilities, and is located in a rural area of northern California, far from other universities and comparable instrumentation. The addition of an ESEM will allow researchers and students interested in examination of fresh (hydrated) biological specimens, and advanced elemental, textural, and material analysis to conduct cutting-edge research.The new CNRS Core Facility represents the first major endeavor on the HSU campus to create a true interdisciplinary, shared-use facility in the sciences. The ESEM will serve as a keystone addition to the facility by bringing together researchers from departments across the college. The instrument will enhance the experience of students in the Electron Microscopy course, as well as in mineralogy, petrology, and structural geology courses. Because the new instrument can be operated remotely, it will also facilitate outreach activities to the local community that are not currently possible. In particular, a permanent exhibit on microscopic natural history will be established at the HSU Natural History Museum, and live remote operations will be conducted there at yearly events. Training institutes for secondary science teachers over the summer will be followed in the fall by the opportunity for the teachers to remotely operate the instrument to examine specimens that their students have collected, providing a unique opportunity to high schools throughout rural northern California.