NSF Org:	DBI Division of Biological Infrastructure
Recipient:	COLD SPRING HARBOR LABORATORY
Initial Amendment Date:	March 30, 1999
Latest Amendment Date:	March 30, 1999
Award Number:	9970149
Award Instrument:	Standard Grant
Program Manager:	Gerald Selzer DBI  Division of Biological Infrastructure BIO  Directorate for Biological Sciences
Start Date:	March 15, 1999
End Date:	February 28, 2001 (Estimated)
Total Intended Award Amount:	$129,654.00
Total Awarded Amount to Date:	$129,654.00
Funds Obligated to Date:	FY 1999 = $129,654.00
History of Investigator:	Robert Martienssen (Principal Investigator) martiens@cshl.edu Ueli Grossniklaus (Co-Principal Investigator) Michael Hengartner (Co-Principal Investigator) David Jackson (Co-Principal Investigator) Marja Timmermans (Co-Principal Investigator)
Recipient Sponsored Research Office:	Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory 1 BUNGTOWN RD COLD SPG HBR NY  US  11724-2202 (516)367-8307
Sponsor Congressional District:	03
Primary Place of Performance:	Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory 1 BUNGTOWN RD COLD SPG HBR NY  US  11724-2202
Primary Place of Performance Congressional District:	03
Unique Entity Identifier (UEI):	GV31TMFLPY88
Parent UEI:
NSF Program(s):	INSTRUMENTAT & INSTRUMENT DEVP
Primary Program Source:	app-0199
Program Reference Code(s):	9184, BIOT
Program Element Code(s):	110800
Award Agency Code:	4900
Fund Agency Code:	4900
Assistance Listing Number(s):	47.074

ABSTRACT

This award supports the acquisition of a scanning electron microscope (SEM) that operates under conventional high vacuum as well as variable pressure mode. The instrument will by used by at least seven research groups at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory to study the developmental genetics of plants and animals. Projects that will use the microscope include the analysis of leaf and meristem development in maize and Arabidopsis; analysis of the Arabidopsis flower and ovule development; the developmental genetics of cell death in the nematode C. elegans; developmental biology of GTPase signaling in Drosophila; and the analysis of morphological changes associated with the development of learning and memory in the Drosophila brain. The SEM is essential for these studies.
The Plant Group at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory is engaged in a systematic search for new mutations in Arabidopsis using gene trap transposon mutagenesis. The SEM will provide a means to rapidly characterize these mutations in terms of morphological changes as well as changes in cell shape or specification. In addition the SEM will be used for training graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, and in the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory course in Arabidopsis molecular genetics, which has a wide impact on the plant field, and in the DNA Learning Center at CSHL. The ease of use of the variable pressure SEM, compared to conventional SEMs, allows samples to be visualized within minutes of dissection without the need for extensive sample preparation, and the automated settings and the standard operations in 'Microsoft Windows' format means that users can be quickly trained. Therefore the impact of this microscope on research and education at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory will be substantial.

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