BYU Electron Microscopy Facility Mission Statement

Education and Training

The primary purpose of the BYU Electron Microscopy Facility is to provide educational opportunities and training for BYU students, faculty, and staff in the theory and operation of both scanning and transmission electron microscopes and the ancillary equipment needed to support the use of the microscopes. We do this by providing three hands-on graduate level courses in addition to specific training workshops for the teaching of electron microscopy techniques. All of our courses and workshops are available to all BYU students, faculty and staff. We believe that the experience of being able to use this type of equipment will benefit the students not only with their education but potentially throughout their careers.

Support BYU's Research Efforts

In addition to providing training, we also want the BYU research community to be able to take full advantage of the research capabilities of the equipment found in the BYU electron microscopy facility. We are happy to collaborate with researchers on their projects as well as offer consultations to help the researcher develop their projects that need to use the equipment in our facility.

Equipment Availability

Part of our responsibility is also to make sure all of our equipment is functioning properly for the researchers to use and to look for ways to improve the functionality of the facility. We schedule periodic maintenance and call for service as needed to keep the equipment functioning as specified. We also look for ways to improve the facility as equipment requires replacement so we can make sure the facility is functioning up to current research expectations.

Professional Development

Finally the facility personnel work on their professional development so that they can keep up with current trends and new techniques. As equipment improves and new techniques are developed it is important that facility staff be able to provide, to the best of their ability, up to date services that will help provide the best research outcomes.