MRI: Acquisition of a Multi-photon Laser Scanning Confocal Microscope to Establish a Fluorescence Imaging Core Facility

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This Major Research Instrumentation award funds the acquisition of a multi-photon laser scanning confocal microscope for research and training in interdisciplinary fields on the University of Oklahoma (OU) Norman campus. The new instrument has higher sensitivity and faster speed and will significantly boost the capabilities for live and deep-tissue imaging by a diversity of life science and engineering researchers on the OU campus and at nearby research institutions. This new confocal microscope will be used by a number of NSF-sponsored laboratories that are already active in cell and molecular imaging as well as by new users who will incorporate confocal imaging in their research projects. The research topics include, but they are not limited to, neural crest migration in the primitive vertebrate lamprey, neurite outgrowth and synaptic vesicle trafficking in fruit flies, calcium imaging of deep nerve tissues, temporal and spatial patterns of protein complex formation in plants, and biofilm growth and morphology during corrosion of metallic surface. The new microscope will be an important part of education and research integration; students will be trained initially through a new upper undergraduate and graduate student course, Applied Confocal Imaging, taught collectively by the PIs. In addition, the PIs and their students will collaborate with rural and urban Oklahoma K-12 teachers in developing and implementing cutting-edge outreach and classroom projects. The results of these research, teaching, and outreach efforts will be broadly disseminated through participation of students and faculty at professional meetings and through peer-reviewed publications.