Princeton will make major investments in new research equipment, including upgrades to its powerful cryo-electron microscopy facility shown here with Paul Shao, imaging and analysis specialist in the Princeton Materials Institute. Photo by Sameer A. Khan/Fotobuddy Written by Catherine Zandonella, Office of the Dean for Research Sept. 27, 2024 New state-of-the-art microscopes and instruments will enable discoveries in materials, life sciences, climate studies and more A selection of new or upgraded instruments to propel discoveries in the natural sciences and engineering will be installed and made available for researchers at Princeton through the University’s Provost and Dean for Research Transformative Equipment Initiative.Each year, the initiative provides funding to acquire entirely new instruments or replace existing equipment that enable investigations into the physical, biological and engineering questions, and that can eventually contribute to advances in areas such as healthcare, the environment, and new technologies. Support for the program includes funding from the University endowment.This year’s selected equipment includes instruments that capture images of nanoscale structures in fossils, examine the molecular machinery inside cells, evaluate proteins as they perform functions in living systems, measure isotopes that reveal our planet’s climate history to understand the future climate, and probe the elastic properties of biological tissues to better understand diseases.The decision to acquire the equipment was made following a competitive application process in which researchers submit proposals detailing the equipment’s potential impact on scientific discovery as well as information about the users and projects that the equipment would serve. In many cases, the equipment will be installed at the University’s shared user facilities where it can be accessed by researchers from across campus as well as other institutions.State-of-the-art micro-computed tomography (CT) capabilities for research and innovationRichard Register, Eugene Higgins Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering; Director, Princeton Materials InstituteNan Yao, Professor of the Practice and Senior Research Scholar, Princeton Materials Institute; Director, Imaging and Analysis CenterPrinceton’s capacity to analyze materials — ranging from 3-D-printed metal parts to precious vertebrate fossils, from strange crystals created during the testing of the first atomic bomb, to battery research, life sciences and more — will expand substantially with the acquisition of a new three-dimensional computed tomography (CT) X-ray microscopy (XRM) instrument. The new XRM, one of the most advanced instruments at any institution in the world, will analyze materials from the centimeter to submicron scale, enabling more rapid acquisition of higher-quality data. The system will be housed in Princeton’s Imaging and Analysis Center, where it is expected to be used by more than 35 university research groups as well as external users. Source Office of the Dean for Research site