Seven Oakland University scientists recently received $266,091 in federal funding from the National Center for Research Resources to purchase a state-of-the-art transmission electron microscope (TEM).

Eligibility for this competitive award requires a critical mass of scientists, with each bringing a currently funded National Institutes of Health project grant to the table.

“When the grant review committee saw more than 30 years of TEM-related research productivity coupled to an immediate need for a new instrument and strong administration support, they jumped at the chance to help us,” said Andrew Goldberg, one of the seven scientists. “The message we’re getting is very clear – OU can improve biomedical infrastructure by building on existing strengths.”

The team of scientists includes Sitaramayya Ari, professor of biomedical sciences, Eye Research Institute (ERI); Shravan Chintala, assistant professor of biomedical sciences, ERI; Frank Giblin, interim director of ERI; Goldberg assistant professor of biomedical sciences, ERI; John Reddan, professor of biological sciences; Barry Winkler, professor of biomedical sciences, ERI; and Yang Xia, associate professor of physics.

“This new microscope is a particularly valuable asset for Oakland University as faculty, research staff and students will use it for research and teaching purposes,” said OU Interim Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Virinder Moudgil. “It is this kind of advanced technology that helps us deliver a distinguished undergraduate education.”

The TEM instrument is used to study crucial aspects of subcellular structure. The microscope will take its place alongside an existing scanning electron microscope and additional digital imaging instrumentation as part of the Ocular Structure and Imaging Core and is available for use by all OU biomedical researchers on an as-available basis.