What could become a $1 million project began with one middle schooler’s interest in electron microscopy after a class discussion about cells.

“I had an especially inquisitive student last year who wanted to do a fundraiser to buy an electron microscope for my middle school,” laughs Megan Newhouse, a seventh-grade teacher at Driver Middle School in Marcellus. “My administration wanted to support this student's curiosity, so I started asking around and was put in touch with Ben.”

Benjamin Zink is the technical director of the Upstate Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) Core, a facility that provides access to electron microscopy to researchers, other universities, and industry. Zink was immediately enthusiastic about bringing kids into the lab.

“This type of ‘high-level’ instrumentation is rarely exposed to kids at a grade-school age, and experiences like a visit to the EM lab can leave a ‘wowing’ impression that is remembered for years to come,” explained Zink. “Down the road it might even impact their education choices and career paths.”

“Ben invited us up for a day and spent a few hours, talking the kids through sample prep and then he let the kids take control and use the scope to take some images,” said Newhouse. “The kids absolutely loved it; they still talk about it a year later!”

Zink said the students’ level of engagement and skill with the equipment was a surprise.

“Although I expected them to be excited, they asked questions along the way that reflected they were critically thinking about what was being explained. Furthermore, I personally went through the ‘analog to digital’ switch while growing up; the young kids are all digital now, so it was surprising to see how natural they looked while operating the EM and how quickly they picked things up.”

Now, the team at the TEM Core are looking to expand this experience into a program for multiple schools in central New York, giving middle schoolers access to advanced technology.

“Evidence shows that, while there are barriers to students of this age-group to identifying themselves as ‘geeks’ interested in STEM, there is still interest in ‘doing science’,” says Upstate's Iwona Koenig, PhD, co-director of the TEM Core and assistant professor of microbiology and immunology. “We aim to exploit this opening by trying to engage students in hands on exploration of the unseen microscopic world around them using electron microscopy.”

To achieve this, Koenig is applying for a $1.1 million Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) from the National Institute of Health (NIH). The goal of SEPA is to support “science education activities that enhance the diversity of the biomedical, behavioral and clinical research workforce and foster a better understanding of NIH-funded biomedical, behavioral and clinical research and its public health implications.”

Beyond students gaining access to cutting-edge technology, they will learn about potential futures in science. “Upstate researchers, along with industry partners, will model the idea that pursuing science and technology can lead to interesting and productive careers for a diverse population,” Koenig said.

Newhouse sees the benefits programs like this can provide.

“Giving kids access to fancy lab equipment empowers them. It exposes them to the world of science in a way that my own classroom never will be capable of reproducing.”

Upstate’s TEM Core is run by Koenig, Zink, and co-director William Spencer, PhD, an assistant professor of ophthalmology & visual sciences. For more information about the facility or to contact them, visit their website here.

Caption: Benjamin Zink, technical director of Upstate Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) Core, shows local middle schools some of the technology used in Upstate's research.