MRI: Acquisition of a Leica SP8 WLL SuperResolution and Light Sheet Microscope

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An award is made to Hunter College of the City University of New York (CUNY) to sponsor the acquisition of a new laser scanning confocal microscope with super-resolution and digital light sheet capabilities (LSM-DLS), which will be housed in the open-access, multi-user Bio-Imaging Core Facility. The requested microscope will assist the growing research and teaching needs of faculty from multiple departments, as well as the training needs of the next generation of scientists across several disciplines at Hunter College, other CUNY campuses, and at other regional institutions. High school, undergraduate and graduate students will benefit from hands- on training in innovative, leading-edge fluorescence imaging techniques through course work and research, which will enhance their education and mentorship important for their future careers in biological sciences. Hunter College has continued commitment to increase the opportunities for under-represented minority researchers to pursue scientific careers by providing an environment of excellence and active research. Already in-place College sponsored programs encourage broader participation in scientific research that will be strengthen by the acquisition of this state-of-the-art microscope system.The new LSM-DLS will not only meet the needs of current faculty, but will also meet future needs of several departments within both the College and University. It will transform and advance the research capabilities for collecting quantitative, highly spatial and temporal resolution images in order to answer critical questions in cell biology, developmental biology, neuroscience, and nanofabrication of biomaterials. It will support NSF- and other funded research in a broad range of areas including: (a) transcriptional switches, (b) sub-cellular molecular localization, (c) cytoskeleton organization, (d) exosome function, (e) myelin formation, and (f) dendritic spine morphology dynamics in the brain. This technology allows for the visualization of a wide range of samples, and detection from single molecules to whole organism development in real time at high resolution. To perform these projects, investigators will utilize the full range of capabilities of the LSM-DLS setup, including 3D reconstruction, live imaging, spectral unmixing and light-sheet illumination, providing them with unprecedented abilities to visualize structures at a sub-diffraction scale from invertebrate oocytes to the vertebrate brain. The results of these studies will be published in scientific peer-reviewed journals, presented at scientific meetings and used in both teaching and public outreach activities.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.