The National Science Foundation (NSF) Instrumentation and Laboratory Improvement Program recently awarded Hamilton College a $48,530 grant for the acquisition of an X-Ray Microanalysis System. Hamilton College will provide $48,530 in matching funds, for a total project cost of $97,060.

Kenneth Bart, Director of Hamilton's Electron Microscopy Facility, and David Bailey, assistant professor of geology, submitted the grant proposal to the NSF. The goal of the grant is to enhance Hamilton's science curriculum by providing students with hands-on experience using state-of-the-art equipment typically used in graduate level research and industry.

The grant will allow Hamilton to add analytical and chemical mapping capabilities to their existing scanning electron microscope, and the new instrument will be used to teach modern microanalytical techniques for the chemical analysis of biological, geological, and archaeological specimens. It will be housed in Hamilton's Electron Microscope Facility.

The Electron Microscopy Facility at Hamilton is an interdepartmental laboratory located in the biology department. The Facility was established in 1986, and major equipment has been acquired with funds from the Kresge and Sherman Fairchild Foundations. The mission of the laboratory is to teach undergraduate students electron microscopy by offering laboratory-intensive courses and providing students and faculty with advanced imaging equipment for morphological investigations.