MRI: Acquisition of a Scanning Electron Microscope with Energy Dispersive Spectrometry for Collaborative Research in Geobiology

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This award will provide funds to acquire a compact Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) to support a new collaborative Geobiology Research Group, consisting of current and new faculty in Biology and Geosciences. This group's mission is to facilitate cross-disciplinary research, with the primary goal of training undergraduate researchers. Geobiology is a rapidly-growing research area that focuses on the interaction of microorganisms with their mineral environment, and SEM is a critical tool to study both organisms and mineral analysis. The SEM to be acquired is a new compact but full-featured, low-cost instrument that is well suited as a cross-disciplinary microscope for a primarily-undergraduate institution. The instrument will be used to characterize both prokaryotic and eukaryotic microbes, minerals produced by microbial activity, and the geochemical and microstructural attributes of fossil biosignatures and host rock lithology. Designed for simplicity and ease of maintenance, this compact, research-grade SEM is ideal for an institution focused on fostering independent undergraduate research projects to explore both the current and past evolution of microbes and their environment.