Equipment: MRI Track 1: Acquisition of a Confocal Microscope to promote multidisciplinary research and training at Central Michigan University

An award is made to Central Michigan University (CMU) to acquire an advanced confocal microscope, a high-resolution imaging tool that is essential for modern biological discovery. This instrument will allow researchers to see deep inside living tissues in three dimensions, providing an unprecedented level of detail. By integrating this technology into the curriculum, CMU is strengthening its research infrastructure and ensuring that students are trained on the same industry-standard tools they will encounter in the biotechnology workforce. This investment supports a growing research environment at CMU, benefiting undergraduate programs, faculty research, and science outreach initiatives throughout the region. The acquisition of this instrumentation will provide researchers with the ability to study the fundamental components of life in extraordinary detail. By enabling real-time observation of biological processes, this advanced tool will drive discoveries in key areas such as how cells move and change, how they communicate and send signals, how organisms grow and develop from single cells, and how scientists can design new biological tools and materials for specific purposes. Specific areas of research will include investigating how the protective "envelopes" of cells change shape and how proteins move and reorganize within cells. The researchers will also use model organisms to discover cell signal pathways used by cells to coordinate complex behaviors and to study how single cells organize into complex organisms. The instrument will also support the engineering of new biological tools, such as the design of nanoparticles for the precision delivery of molecules to specific cells and cell parts. All of this work will be conducted through the engagement of students and early career researchers, significantly supporting biotechnology workforce development. 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.