College Relations
Grant money delivers high power microscope to Salem State College's Biology Department
CONTACT --- Jim Glynn at 978-542-7519 or james.glynn@salemstate.edu
SALEM, Mass. - Using a portion of a $4.8 million Title III grant secured by Rep. John Tierney of Salem, the Biology Department at Salem State College has acquired a microscope with enough power and resolution to reveal the presence of a microscopic pollen spore in a tiny sample of dust.
 The new JEOL scanning electron microscope (SEM), which magnifies objects up to 300,000 times, replaces a 10-year-old model that the college borrowed from a company in Peabody.
According to Dr. Paul Kelly, an assistant professor of biology, the SEM will be used across the curriculum. "It will be used by biology students to observe cell structure, by geology students to identify rock formations and by criminal justice students for forensics work during their DNA labs," Kelly said. Nursing students will also use it to examine biological tissues, Kelly said.
 The $200,000 microscope was purchased with the aid of a Title III grant Salem State College received to upgrade technology in the classrooms. Recently the college used a portion of those funds to open its first technologically-advanced "smart classroom" in its School of Business. More smart classrooms are planned for the college's Central Campus project.
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