MRI: Acquisition of a Focused Ion Beam Scanning Electron Microscope (FIB-SEM) for Large Volume 3 Dimensional Imaging of Whole Cells

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An award is made to Yale University to implement a state-of-the-art Focused Ion Beam Scanning Electron Microscope (FIB-SEM) system. It provides a powerful new tool to study the 3D structure and function of cells and their organelles - especially those that require high-resolution, yet large volumetric views. It will also allow new correlative studies that bridge the gap between light microscopy (including super-resolution) and electron microscopy. The broader impacts are multifaceted. The instrument will be integrated into the Yale CCMI Electron Microscopy Core Facility and infrastructure created precisely for such multi-user equipment. The instrument will be used to train the next generation of scientists and bioengineers in quantitative imaging, fostering new interdisciplinary research between biological, engineering and physical sciences. Student diversity is a strong focus and will be actively promoted on multiple fronts through established Yale outreach programs. 3D EM datasets will be rendered in a stereoscopic virtual reality (VR) platform so that anyone can voyage into cells. Thus, the large high-resolution volumetric data will not only propel basic science, but also help educate and inspire a broad and diverse audience. The new FIB-SEM system will enable new scientific research into how cell and tissue structure impacts function, with projects on how neurons communicate, how organelles such as primary cilia, Golgi complex, phagosomes, and the endoplasmic reticulum form and function. The main user group comprises leaders in a broad range of scientific disciplines stretching across the biological sciences, engineering, and computer sciences. The new system will act as a focal point, with faculty members, postdoctoral trainees, and students from different departments interacting and helping each other to reach common imaging and analysis goals. The instrument will be an extremely valuable tool not only for research on intracellular functions, but also for projects that address intercellular communications, such as those that occur in the nervous system and in the immune system.