Dr. Liaosha Song, an assistant professor of geology at California State University, Bakersfield, was awarded a National Science Foundation Major Research Instrumentation (NSF MRI) grant worth $520,050 to support the acquisition of a field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM).
Dr. Song, along with colleagues and grant co-investigators Dr. Anthony Rathburn (geology), Dr. Brandon Pratt (biology), Dr. Anna Jacobsen (biology), and Dr. Luis Cabrales (physics and engineering), requested this equipment as a means to support their scholarship and teaching at CSUB, with a particular focus on being able to support student research experiences with state-of-the-art equipment. This national competitive grant showcased CSUB faculty’s commitment in research and research training for students.
“It is my great honor to be selected for this award," said Dr. Song, principle investigator of the grant. "The NSF MRI grant will bring our research to a whole new level. For STEM majors, research experience is a part of learning. The research experience students gain will strengthen their engagement in education.”
The new FE-SEM is an analytical system that can achieve sub-nanometer-scale imaging of samples, while simultaneously performing qualitative and quantitative chemical analysis. These capabilities will enable a direct observation of the nano-porous rock structure and reactivity and substantially advance Dr. Song’s current research on CO2 and H2 geologic storage.
In addition, this system includes a temperature-control stage that enables examination of frozen biological specimens, which opens up a range of novel applications to view material captured in a natural state.
Dr. Pratt explained that “being able to examine specimens in a frozen state is a game changer that allows us to avoid artifacts that can occur when prepping samples for microscopic examination.” Dr. Jacobsen further commented that “combined with our existing facilities, this new equipment will enable us to answer scientific questions that few other laboratories are equipped to examine.”
The remarkable versatility of this instrument will drastically enhance CSUB’s research capabilities across multiple disciplines, including geology, biology, environmental studies, engineering, physics and agriculture. It will likely inspire new research directions and inter-disciplinary collaborations and facilitate new collaborative projects on campus or with researchers from other institutions.
“The benefits of upgraded research facilities are not limited to improving the quality of the research itself,” Dr. Song said.
Doing so also works toward CSUB’s efforts toward boosting the enrollment and retention of minority students, giving them greater opportunities to enhance their educational achievements and develop the research skills necessary for graduate-level study. Increasing the number of underrepresented minority students pursing degrees in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) will in turn improve their representation in those industry’s workforces.
“I am incredibly proud of our faculty who work tirelessly to enhance the learning environment to engage our students and help them grow professionally," said Dr. Jane Dong, dean of the School of Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Engineering. "The research and educational opportunities enabled by this NSF MRI grant will benefit our students, many of whom are first-generation students, in the years to come.”
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