UW Professor Secures $1.3 Million NSF Grant to Bring Game-Changing Super-Resolution Microscope to Campus

The University of Wyoming will soon house one of the most advanced microscopes in the Mountain West, thanks to a nearly $1.3 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded to Eunsook Park, an assistant professor in the Department of Molecular Biology.

The NSF grant will fund the acquisition of a Leica STELLARIS 8 FALCON-STED microscope, a state-of-the-art imaging platform that combines fluorescence lifetime imaging and stimulated emission depletion super-resolution technology. When the proposal was submitted, no institution within 600 miles of UW had an instrument with comparable capabilities, making this installation a major milestone for regional research infrastructure.

"This microscope is truly a game changer," Park says. "It will allow researchers to visualize molecular processes in living cells with nanometer-scale precision, opening new frontiers in plant biology, biomedical engineering and veterinary sciences."

The interdisciplinary project includes Grant Bowman, an associate professor, and Jennifer Pinello, an assistant professor, both in the Department of Molecular Biology; John Oakey, a professor of chemical and biomedical engineering; and Elizabeth Case, an assistant professor of veterinary science; as co-principal investigators. Mark Gomelsky, a professor, and Jongchan Woo, a senior research scientist, both in the Department of Molecular Biology; and Carmela Guadagno, an associate research scientist in the Department of Botany and director of the Science Institute, serve as senior personnel.

The new microscope will be housed in the Center for Advanced Scientific Imaging (CASI) light microscopy suite, located in the Science Initiative Building. The microscope will support cutting-edge research across the biological and physical sciences. Beyond UW, the facility will serve as a regional hub for imaging innovation, providing access and training opportunities to collaborating institutions and industry partners. Faculty from Laramie County Community College and Colorado State University will benefit, according to the grant proposal.

Additionally, the microscope will bolster undergraduate STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education by exposing lower-level undergraduate students to the cutting-edge imaging system in their lab courses. According to the grant proposal, conservative estimates are that more than 20 senior personnel, 10 postdoctoral associates, 43 graduate students and 34 undergraduates will be directly impacted every year.

Park says the microscope is already set up in the CASI facility, but her team is testing and optimizing the equipment, with the hope the microscope will be available to all at UW in early 2026.

"This investment strengthens Wyoming's position as a leader in interdisciplinary research and advanced imaging," Park says. "It will accelerate discoveries that connect molecular mechanisms to real-world challenges in health, agriculture and the environment."