Equipment: MRI: Track 1 Acquisition of a Superresolution Laser Scanning Confocal Microscope for Enhancing Life Sciences Research in Southern Kansas

About This Grant

An award is made to Wichita State University (WSU) to enable the acquisition of a super-resolution laser scanning confocal microscope, which will enhance the life sciences research in south-central Kansas. This will build the research and educational capacity at WSU. In addition, WSU will provide access to over 29 community and rural colleges located within a 100-mile radius of WSU. These other institutions rely on WSU for advanced research and educational instrumentation, which this microscope will provide. The super-resolution microscope will have a significant impact annually on the educational experiences of nearly 7,000 WSU students majoring in health and natural sciences, engineering, and education. It will provide them with the opportunity to gain experience and perform research with a state-of-the art microscopy tool. It will also enable projects that will be used to grow two science outreach programs for Wichita’s public schools – Unified School District 259 and will allow middle school and high school students to incorporate microscopic exploration of life in their learning activities. With this new equipment, WSU faculty, staff, and student researchers will be able to advance their research programs in areas such as cell biology, developmental biology, endocrinology, neural bioengineering, mechanobiology, and molecular and cellular biochemistry. Among the research progress enabled by this acquisition are studies including cellular metal transport mechanisms critical for organ development, the impact of exercise adaptations on aging stem cells, molecular mechanisms mediating cancer cell growth, reproductive hormone signaling changes in aging, nanofiber-mediated nerve regrowth after injury, 3D model development of blood-vessel-forming (endothelial) cells, mechanisms of neural bioenergetics, molecular regulation of muscle contractions, and plant-fungal cell interactions. Overall, this Major Research Instrumentation award will enhance research capacity and educational experiences at the key hub for science and technology innovations and stimulate workforce development in south-central Kansas. 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.