National Science Foundation Awards Grant to Pitt Professor

PITTSBURGH—University of Pittsburgh Professor Susan Sesack was awarded a grant of $256,000 by the National Science Foundation to acquire a biological electron microscope with a digital photography system. Faculty in three departments—neuroscience, biology, and chemistry—will use the new equipment for research and training.

"I am extremely pleased to be able to improve the research infrastructure in three departments," said Sesack, associate professor in the Department of Neuroscience. "There is no doubt that this grant came about because of the large number of investigators conducting high-impact, well-funded, and well-published research that addresses biological issues."

Sesack will use the microscope to study brain structure, synaptic connections, and the locations of proteins important for neurotransmission. Sesack studies the pathways of the neurotransmitter dopamine, which is important for emotion, movement, and cognition. Her work has disputed and refined current thinking about neural pathways for dopamine, which at the cellular level demonstrate a surprising degree of organizational specificity.

"I am especially pleased to introduce digital photography into our electron microscopy capabilities. We realized that this technology is necessary to keep up with the current speed of research," Sesack said. "Another huge advantage to the technology is the external display on a screen separate from the viewer. More than one person can see at one time, so this will increase the speed at which we can train undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral students."

The transmission electron microscope, a Phillips Morgani 268, will be operational by November.

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