Electron microscopes are powerful instruments used in medicine, industry, and academic settings around the world to study the fine structure and properties of living and non-living materials. In 1996, Trinity College was awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation to build an interdisciplinary Electron Microscopy Facility for use by students and faculty in all the sciences. Trinity has two Transmission Electron Microscopes, or TEMs—one dedicated to Life Sciences and one to Materials Sciences—plus a Scanning Electron Microscope, or SEM. TEMs are used to study the internal make-up of a material, while SEMs are used to study surface features. Together they offer a multifaceted view of structure/property relationships.

The Electron Microscopy Facility at Trinity offers undergraduates a rare opportunity for exposure to nanotechnology in an interdisciplinary setting. The resolving power of Trinity’s electron microscopes is measured in fractions of a nanometer (10-9 meter), enabling magnifications of millions of times. Following a period of training, students can access any of these powerful instruments for explorations into the realm of the nano-world.