MRI: Acquisition of a Transmission Electron Microscope

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An award is made to Loyola University Chicago (LUC) to purchase a Transmission ElectronMicroscope (TEM) in support of research, teaching, and outreach. This equipment will be usedby LUC researchers as well as graduate and undergraduate students in STEM fields. Throughdidactic courses and research mentorship, over 100 LUC undergraduate students will gainvaluable training on this machine annually. Two undergraduate courses at LUC will utilize theTEM as will two courses at neighboring undergraduate institutions. The TEM will have thegreatest impact on high school students engaged in summer research at LUC. Each year, LUCinvestigators host 40+ aspiring scientists from Chicago area high schools. This high schoolresearch experience will include training and hands-on exploration using the TEM. Thus, theTEM will promote student training both at LUC and beyond.This TEM enhances research at all levels. It enables imaging, sizing, and elemental mapping ofsamples for a diverse ensemble of scientific fields ranging from biology to materials chemistry toenvironmental sustainability. Representative examples include imaging of bacteriophages, thecellular structural stability of malaria parasites, microscopic structures of lizard scales, bacterialbiofilm formation, cartilage and bone formation in fish embryos, and peripheral nervous systemstructure. Furthermore, this machine can examine the chemistry that occurs at the surface ofprototypical small molecule organic semiconductors as well as element-specific measurementsof metal accumulation in living tissue. Thus, the TEM instrument will stimulate the productivity ofthe existing research projects as well as train the next generation of scientists.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.