Megan Knoch - US grants

The TILL iMIC Andromeda is a sophisticated and multipurpose confocal microscope specially adapted to the imaging of living samples. Through the NSF MRI award, Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) acquired the iMIC Andromeda to develop a state-of-the art microscope facility benefiting the research and research training of several departments within IUP?s College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics (CNSM). More specifically, the acquisition of the iMIC strengthens a current research emphasis on plasticity and cell-signaling. Researchers can address basic biological and biochemical questions about the structural and functional remodeling that occurs in several physiological events, including normal development pathways, metabolic processes, the generation of biological rhythms and vacuole formation in yeast. Additionally, IUP researchers are using the iMIC in an innovative way to measure fluorescence and the absorptive spectra of novel optical materials to further the goal of enhancing telecommunications and sensor applications. Overall, the augmented imaging capabilities of this facility allow for in-depth analyses of several biological, biochemical and physics projects, as well as the initiation of additional research projects for which highly developed fluorescent microscopy is required.

The iMIC expands CNSM research capabilities and has the inimitable advantage of being used by a significant number of students and university professors in a variety of scientific disciplines. In addition to providing faculty members with opportunities to broaden their research repertoire, the iMIC enhances intra- and interuniversity collaborative research efforts between faculty and students. The iMIC also impacts the advancement of science education at IUP, including undergraduate and graduate CNSM students. Regional high school students interact with the iMIC through workshops and outreach programs designed to enhance STEM training. This promises to be a significant recruiting tool as approximately 75% of IUP students are from rural Pennsylvania and have not been exposed to state-of-the-art microscopes like the iMIC Andromeda. Importantly, graduate, undergraduate and secondary students are able to design research projects involving advanced microscopy techniques under the careful mentorship of IUP faculty?experiences that will better prepare them for careers in biology. Thus, the iMIC is expanding the range of techniques that can be offered to introduce CNSM students to the rapidly advancing field of microscopic imaging that has changed the paradigm for basic and applied sciences.